


Psychological Scars - Sequel to Ten Tonne Skeleton

by PunkRock13



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: CZW - Freeform, Depression, Domestic Violence, EatingDisorders, Kidnapping, M/M, WWE - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:17:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 33,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkRock13/pseuds/PunkRock13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Ten Tonne Skeleton.</p><p>Dean had disappeared. Fallen off the face of the earth, until someone spotted his crazed looking face on a flier for CZW.</p><p>The light in his eyes has disappeared. He was no longer the man he once was. </p><p>He was weak. He was Jon Moxley.</p><p>Dean Ambrose/Sami Callihan<br/>Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Psychological Scars - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is the first chapter of the sequel to Ten Tonne Skeleton. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy!!

A lot had happened since Dean left the WWE. People had come and gone. New friends were made. Old friends forgotten. It was as if he was living a brand new life. He had a new job, a new house, a new fiance and even a new love for violence. Dean had never left the pain behind. He took it with him wherever he went.

It was like the pain was his child. At times he wished he didn't have to deal with it, but it was his and he was going to make sure he did everything in his power to keep it safe. Dean like feeling pain. That's why, only four months after leaving WWE, Dean sighed a contract for CZW.

His passion for wrestling hadn't come back, but his passion for pain had never left. Just thinking about getting thrown through a sheet of glass made the lunatic smirk. Dean loved it in CZW. Everyone was as crazy as he was and no one cared if there was something wrong with you. Dean hated attention. There were however, some down sides to his new life style.

Sami Callihan. Dean's new fiance was in his eyes, perfect. They loved each other in a way that could never be replaced. He felt happiness when he was with the larger man. A sense of happiness that he had only felt a few times before.

They were the power couple in CZW. Everyone wanted their relationship, but they didn't realize what really went on behind closed doors.

Dean didn't mind that his fiance hit him. Sami loved him, he just had a unique way of showing it. He could cover up the bruises and make up excuses for them easily, especially in this company. The one thing Dean didn't like was his new name. Sami wanted to make sure that people from the WWE could never get in contact with his new lover. People like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and AJ Styles were never allowed to see their old friend again. Dean knew that Sami was just trying to protect him, which is why he agreed to change his name.

Jon Moxley was his new name. Sami had always loved the name Jon, which is why Jon picked it. He wanted Sami to love him even more than before.

The couple had bought a new house in Denver, Colorado. Sami had always wanted to live there and of course, Jon was happy to follow. It was like a dream come true for Jon.

Once they had settled down into their new house, Sami took Jon to a posh restaurant, got down on one knee and asked his love to marry him. Of course he said yes. Who wouldn't? 

News of their engagement had spread over the indie scene rather quickly, and within a week the whole of the CZW company were asking for their invites to the wedding. The wedding wasn't going to happen for quite a while. They had originally planned to get married a few weeks after their engagement, but they had too many wrestling shows to perform and couldn't fit a date in. Jon hoped that it would be soon. He really wanted to be Sami's forever.

Jon didn't have any friends in the company, minus Sami. His fiance said that it would be better to stay away from other people. Jon had never really understood why a life with no friends would be better, but he trusted Sami to make the right decisions. And so far, Sami had made some really good decisions for Jon.

__________

Seth only had a month left until he was officially cleared to wrestle. He couldn't wait to finally get back in the ring. He had suffered long enough.

The past five months had been nothing but torture for Seth. Dean had left him. The phone call that the two men shared, broke Seth's heart. He really hadn't meant to hurt his ex-lover. He thought that he could make it up to Dean, once he went back to WWE but Roman informed him of the news. Dean's departure.

Seth had no clue why Dean would just up and leave. He knew he was going to leave WWE, but he didn't think Dean would travel to a completely different state.

He didn't answer Seth's calls or texts. In fact Dean didn't answer anyone's calls or texts, unless it was Sami's. It scared Seth to think about what might have happened to his friend. Why hadn't anyone heard from him? He had disappeared off the face of the earth.

It took Seth a while to come to terms with the fact that Dean was really gone. He wanted so badly to make sure his past partner in crime was okay. He knew that he should stop thinking about Dean altogether. It wasn't healthy for his mind. He needed to erase Dean from his memory.

Seth decided to go to the gym and get a quick work out done. It would clear his head. The work out went well and Seth had actually stopped thinking about Dean. That was until he saw a flier stuck to the wall in the main reception.

'CZW Southern Violence: Jon Moxley, Sami Callihan, Nick Gage and more. August 14th 9pm.'

Seth usually wasn't interested in the violent kind of wrestling, but his attention was instantly caught when he saw the unmistakable face of his ex-lover. Dean Ambrose.

He was alive.


	2. Arrangements - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Just to let you know Seth, AJ and Roman will refer to Dean as 'Dean' and Dean and Sami will refer to Dean as 'Jon.' Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Jon paced around the house, looking for Sami's sweater. The older man had asked if Jon had seen it anywhere since he had let his lover borrow it a few days ago. In all honesty Jon had no clue where the jumper was. He thought he had already given it back, but apparently he hadn't. He knew Sami was going to be mad at him. He loved that sweater.

A few hours past and Jon realized that what he was looking for wasn't in the house. He must of left it in the locker room at last nights show. He hoped and prayed that it was still there in one piece. He made his way to the old warehouse, where CZW was filmed and headed straight towards the changing rooms.

Jon searched through every unlocked locker, including his own and Sami's, but couldn't find the sweater anywhere. He knew Sami was going to be disappointed in him. He had let his lover down once again. He was such a bad fiance.

People started arriving at the warehouse to get ready for tonight's show. Jon was anxious as he waited for Sami's arrival. What would he say? How would he react? It was only a matter of time before he found out.

Jon got changed into his ring gear (Black tights, combat boots, knee pads and a sleeveless denim jacket) and waited for his lover to pull up in the parking lot. Jon's stomach was tied in knots. He knew that he deserved what he was about to get, but he was still worried. He wasn't scared to get beat up. He could handle that. He was just scared to see the sadness and disappointment in Sami's eyes. It was one of the worst types of pain that he had ever felt. 

__________

Seth was sat at home, waiting for RAW to finish so he could call Roman. He wanted to tell him about the flier and about Dean. It was the only thing on his mind lately. He had finally found his friend. Sort of. If he went to this show in three days time, then maybe he could talk to Dean and sort a few things out.

Seth called Roman and was over the moon to hear that Roman and AJ would be accompanying him at the CZW show. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to go on his own. He would have chickened out at the last minute.

He felt as if his life was starting to come together again. Obviously he hadn't spoken to Dean, but he hoped that Dean would come back to Iowa and live with him. He hoped that Dean still loved him. Dean could sign a contract with WWE and within a month they could be the power couple of the ring. It would be perfect. But secretly, deep down, Seth knew that it wasn't going to work out that easily.

Seth assumed from the flier that Dean had changed his name to Jon Moxley. He decided to google the name and see what came up.

He was surprised to see a load of pictures of Dean with another man. They were always close together and in one picture they were kissing. Then a link to someones twitter page came up. The person was called Sami Callihan. His name was also on the flier. Once the link loaded up, a tweet appeared saying:

'So glad to tell you all that me and Jon are engaged!!' 08/01/16.

Underneath there was a picture attached of the two men snogging each others faces off. It was clear in the picture that Dean was wearing a ring.

Seth couldn't believe that Dean, the love of his life, was engaged to another man. He was so shocked in fact that he sent the link of the tweet to Roman and AJ. The replies came instantly. Seth read AJ's first.

'Wait, is that Dean? Holy shit, man!! I think he's in love. I guess we're too late!'

In all honesty, Seth laughed at AJ's reply. He found it funny that the two of them were both open about their love for Dean. Once Dean had left, they became friends in order to help one another through the hard times. Seth then read Roman's reply.

'Whoa.... I... just can't... even... WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!!?!?!?'

Seth also laughed at that reply.

He spent the rest of the night talking to his two friends on a group chat. He was kind of overwhelmed by the whole 'Dean is engaged' situation, but he tried to keep it at the back of his mind.

__________

Jon lay on the cold tiles of the warehouse bathroom. His head hurt a lot and his nose was bleeding from the latest beat down he had received from Sami. Words couldn't describe how worthless he felt. Why did he have to lose Sami's favorite sweater? Sami deserved better.

He lifted himself off of the dirty floor and dampened some tissue to wipe the blood from his nose. He had a match against Nick Gage tonight so he had to get some confidence back in him. He had to be ready at all times.

Jon felt even more beaten down after his match. Thirty minutes of pure pain. It felt good at first but once the match had finished, Jon felt like crap. He had lost. Sami wasn't impressed. He ignored Jon for the rest of the night. He knew that his lover didn't like it when he stopped talking to him, which is why he did it. He needed to be punished for losing.

"Sami, please speak to me. I-I'm sorry! Please!" Jon begged as he followed Sami out of the front room and into the kitchen. "Please baby, just say something. Anything, please." Jon was getting more and more upset as the minutes past. Minutes turned into hours.

Jon ended up going to bed early. Sami had only made dinner for himself, so Jon saw no reason to eat. It was obvious that this was a sign from his lover. Sami wanted Jon to lose weight.

Jon knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep until Sami got into the bed and snuggled up next to him, but he knew that wouldn't happen tonight. He was being punished and that meant no cuddles. He wished that he could find Sami's jacket, so that he could make his fiance happy. If he had money then he would buy Sami a new sweater, but all of Jon's money was given to Sami. Jon wasn't allowed to buy things.

The hours past slowly and Jon was still wide awake. He knew that he would be tired the next day, but he couldn't do anything about it. He needed Sami. He was the only good thing in Jon's life. He was the only thing keeping Jon alive.


	3. I can't leave you behind - Part 3

Jon awoke with a brain splitting headache. He could hear the echo of his heartbeat pulsing around his weakened body. He needed to leave the house in a few hours so that he could fly over to Iowa. The thought of being in that State scared him. He didn't want to see one of his previous acquaintances. Sami assured him that he wouldn't let anyone go near him if it came down to it. There was nothing to worry about really. He had changed his name. No one knew who he was. He was safe.

But that didn't stop the constant paranoia rattling around his mind.

__________

Seth was making progress with his injury. He spent three hours at the gym everyday and a further two hours at the wrestling academy. His knee no longer hurt when he walked and he was pretty much ready to get back into the ring. He just had to wait one more month. 

The thought of going back to the WWE was always on his mind. The sound of the crowd cheering or booing him was amazing. It was his way of coping with life. The WWE audience was his drug. 

Another thing that was always on his mind was, Dean. Had his former lover really changed his name and gotten engaged? Was he happy in his new relationship? He did look pretty happy in the picture that Seth saw. Seth didn't want to ruin their relationship, he wasn't like that. He just wanted to talk to Dean and see if he really did love his new fiance.

Seth had thought about finding someone new. He didn't want to keep sulking over the loss of Dean. He had been going on a few dates with different men to see if he liked any of them, but there was only one who could fill the void in his heart. And that person was getting married to someone else. His plans of finding a new boyfriend were put on hold the moment he saw the flier for CZW.

The CZW show in Iowa was only two days away and Seth had to make sure he was ready to go, mentally. There was a large chance he would see Dean, he hoped to talk to him, but he knew that it probably wouldn't happen. In a way he kind of thought that 'Jon Moxley' might not even be Dean. It could just be someone who looks like him. There was no reason for him to change his name, so why had he?

Seth had text AJ and Roman, voicing his thoughts. The two men replied quickly and told him to grow up and go to the show. He had to speak to Dean. It was obvious that he was the man on the flier.

The day passed quickly and before he knew it, Seth had only one day to prepare for the CZW show. What would he wear? Where would he sit? Maybe the back row would be the best option. It was most likely going to be in a warehouse so there wouldn't be many people.

What if Dean doesn't want to talk to him? They didn't exactly leave each other on good terms. Dean could easily just put his middle fingers up at the younger man and tell him to 'Fuck off.' Seth deserved it, that's for sure, but he still hoped that it wouldn't happen. He just wanted a civilized conversation.

Roman and AJ would probably speak to Dean if Seth chickened out, so really there was nothing to worry about. All he had to do was wait.

Seth decided to head to the gym and start his harsh work out session.

At the gym Seth ran into a guy who looked familiar. He had black, spiked up hair and was built up quite big. Seth felt as if he had seen the man somewhere before, but was too shy to approach him and ask. 

Seth finished off his work out and headed to the wrestling academy. He couldn't shake off the thought that he had seen that man at the gym before. He thought long and hard before he finally realized that he was the guy on the CZW flier. Sam Calaway, or something like that. On the way to the gym Seth checked his twitter to see that the wrestlers of CZW had arrived in Iowa. The tweet said:

'Get ready for August 14th, The power couple of CZW are teaming up against the Garden State Gods in tomorrow nights main event!'

Underneath was a picture of Dean and the guy that Seth saw at the gym.

That was Dean's fiance. 

The sudden realization shocked Seth. He had just been in the gym, working out next to Dean's fiance. Was his ex-lover really that close to him?

__________

Tonight was the night that Seth, AJ and Roman attended the CZW show in Iowa. There were about 80 people in the warehouse altogether, getting ready to watch the wrestling. The three men had to wear hoodies and hats to hide their appearances, as they didn't want to be recognized. 

Seth was nervous. His stomach was doing flips and he started to sweat. It didn't help that he was wearing a jumper. Roman gave him some water to cool him down, but it didn't help much. He just wanted to get tonight over with. They were at the back, leaning against the wall, but they still got a good view of the ring.

The first half of the show went by quickly. The wrestlers were very talented and Seth wondered if they would ever sign a contract with WWE. Most of them seemed happy in CZW.

The main event match was next. The theme for the Switchblade Conspiracy started playing and Seth almost fainted when he saw Dean enter the room. It was definitely him. He was holding hands with Sami as they made their way to the ring. Once they got up onto the apron, they kissed and Seth felt his heart break all over again.

There were a few moments in the match were Seth had to look away. It was brutal. He couldn't bare to see Dean in so much pain. Towards the end of the match Dean looked up and made eye contact with Seth, a look of shock on his face. The distraction caused Dean to be rolled up into a pin and lose the match.

Sami looked angry at Dean and went to shout at him, until he followed Dean's direction of sight and saw Seth. The look of anger on his face intensified and he grabbed Dean, forcefully by the arm and dragged him backstage.

Dean hung his head down and looked at the floor the whole time.

Seth could see that something wasn't right. He knew Dean and he knew when he needed help.


	4. The man I once knew - Part 4

Sami knew that the silent treatment wasn't a good enough punishment this time. Jon had lost two matches in a row, and he had made eye contact at his ex-boyfriend. When they got together the first rule that Sami put in place, was that Jon was never allowed to be in the same room as Seth. And it didn't help that Roman and AJ were there too.

Jon wouldn't stop looking at Seth, and that pissed Sami off. He had broken their number one rule and he was going to pay for it.

As soon as they got backstage Sami threw Jon against the wall, anger clear on his face.

"Sami please, I di-"

"Shut up!" Moxley was cut off buy a harsh kick to the jaw. He could feel the warm, red substance oozing out of his mouth.

"You - broke - our - number - one - rule!" Each word was accompanied by a punch to the face by the younger man. 

"I didn't mean to-"

"Stop talking you worthless son of a bitch! You don't deserve me, you're lucky I love you." Sami stopped his beat down on Jon. "If I ever see you near that guy again, then you're dead. Understand?" 

Jon was petrified by his lovers threat.

"I said do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good, now get cleaned up and find a place to stay for the night. I don't want you sharing my hotel room. Not after tonight. You're nothing but a disappointment, Moxley." And with that Sami walked away, into the changing rooms, leaving Jon a bloodied mess on the floor.

__________

Seth had been shocked by the fear in Dean's eye when they looked at each other. It was as if he was scared of his former lover. 

After the show, Roman and AJ made their way to the hotel they were staying at and Seth walked towards the back alley of the warehouse. He needed a cigarette. It wasn't something he was very fond of at first, but once Dean had left, Seth felt comfort in the tiny cancer stick.

The alley was empty. A cool chill swept through the air, making the alley way a little more spooky. Seth hoped that Dean would emerge from out of no where, so they could run off into the sunset together. He was starting to lose hope on that ever happening however, when he finished his first fag and lit the second.

It wasn't until Seth was half way through his second cigarette, that someone angrily opened the back door of the warehouse and stomped out into the alley. The man had blood covering his face and wore nothing but a small pair of black wrestling tights. The man kicked over a trash can before leaning against the wall of the run down building and grabbing one of his own cigarettes.

Seth then realized that it was Dean. He could see that Dean's lighter had run out of fuel, angering the older man when he couldn't light his fag. Seth saw this as his chance to step in.

"Hey, do you need a light?" Seth asked stepping towards Dean.

Dean's reaction however, didn't go as Seth hoped. The blood covered man stepped away from Seth, wide eyed and headed for the backdoor.

"Wait, don't go." Seth grabbed Dean's wrist causing him to flinch. "I just wanna talk." Dean looked around the alley to check that there was no one else there, before he looked back up towards Seth. 

"So, how have you been?" Seth asked awkwardly. Dean didn't respond.

"How did you get the blood on your face? It wasn't there at the end of the match." Seth was curious, but Dean still didn't talk.

"Look Ambrose, I-"

"That's not my name!" Jon mumbled, angrily.

"Okay then, Jon. Please can you just talk to me? I just wanna have a little catch up y'know? I haven't seen you in ages."

"I can't talk to you." Jon looked at the ground.

"Why not?"

"I can't be near you. You're dangerous."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's gonna kill me." Jon started to panic. Sami had eyes and ears everywhere. The paranoia was kicking in, making Jon twitch.

"Who?" Seth asked, confused.

"I need to go." Jon started to walk away, but Seth grabbed his arm.

"Get off me!" Jon screamed, crouching down to the floor in a defensive position. Tears started to fall down his cheeks, mixing with the blood.

"De- Jon, what happened to you?" Seth asked in a soothing and concerned voice. He had never seen Dean so weak. He sat beside the crying man and placed Jon's head on his shoulder in a comforting way.

"Do you wanna stay at mine for the night?" Seth asked.

"I-I can't. He w-won't let me." Jon sniffed. He sounded exhausted.

"You're allowed to do whatever you want. It's your life not his."

"I know but I don't want him to get mad at me."

"Why would he get mad at you?"

"Because I'm not allowed to speak to people, especially you." Jon was shaking, a mixture of being cold and being scared.

"Look, I don't know what he's done to you but it's not right. Stay with me tonight. If he gets mad at you then I'll talk to him and sort it out, okay? You'll be safe with me, I promise."

"O-okay, but I need to get my stuff." Jon sighed. The thought of going back into the arena terrified him. What if Sami saw him? What would he say? "If I'm not back in ten minutes then leave without me." Dean mumbled before he stood up and rushed inside.

Luckily enough, Sami was no where to be seen and Jon managed to put a pair of pants over his tights and a hoodie over his bare torso, before heading back out to the alley way. He couldn't understand why Seth wanted him to go to his house. He just hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. 

Seth was still living in the same house as before. Jon remembered exactly where everything was and in a way he felt as if he was home. It was a comforting house, unlike his own which was cold and unwelcoming. He had been there for no longer than an hour. Seth had already made him three cups of tea, which he drank gratefully.

Jon enjoyed the calming mood of the house. He never wanted to leave. He knew that it wouldn't be like this forever though. In the morning Jon would have to go back to his miserable life. But there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to accept it.


	5. Need to breathe - Part 5

"I don't think you should be with him."

The sudden noise that came from Seth's voice frightened Jon. It caught him off guard, but the content of the sentence freaked him out even more. How could Seth say that? It wasn't up to him to decide who Jon dated. 

"What do you mean?" Jon asked, confusion clear on his face. He felt insulted.

"It's obvious that he's no good. I mean, you were a mess earlier and I know it had nothing to do with the match." Seth retorted.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. You can't just force your way back into my life and then try and get me to break up with my fiance. Who the hell do you think you are?" Jon had never felt this much anger.

"I'm not trying to break you two up I'm just say-"

"Oh shut up! Of course you are trying to break us up. You just want to sabotage my only form of happiness. Y'know what? Stuff our little catch up. I don't know why I bothered coming over in the first place."

"Dean, just wai-"

"That's not my fucking name!" Jon screamed. The room filled with silence.

"Cut the crap, of course it's your name. You were born with it weren't you?" Seth was fed up of the new Dean's attitude.

"It's not my name. I changed it and I would appreciate it if you would respect that. I'll show myself out." Jon started to open the front door.

"Please wait. I'm sorry, okay? I'm just a bit overwhelmed with everything that happened today. I'm not trying to ruin your relationship with Sami, I just- I don't know. I crossed a line and I'm sorry. Please spend the night here. I just want you to be safe." Seth pleaded, feeling guilty for upsetting his ex-lover.

"Fine. I'm going to bed." Jon sighed.

"Okay, goodnight." Seth didn't know how to respond. The least he could do was let the poor man sleep.

__________

Seth awoke first the next morning. He showered and ate some breakfast, before going into the spare room to see if Jon was okay.

As he walked into the room he was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. Jon was laying peacefully under the covers. His head, neck and arm were the only parts above the white duvet. The morning sunlight created a calming affect. He felt as if he was in a movie. Nothing seemed real, but then he saw the bruises.

Fingerprint, purple and black marks covered the side of Jon's neck. It was pretty obvious as to how they got there. Seth didn't understand how anyone could hurt the person they love. He just wants Jon to be safe.

He had cuts all over his face. On his lip, nose and under his eyes. They would take a while to heal. They were pretty deep.

Why couldn't Jon understand that what was happening to him wasn't right. He shouldn't get hit or strangled every time he does something wrong. That's not how relationships work. In the end Seth didn't care who Jon dated. He just wanted him to be safe and happy.

It was obvious that Jon wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. The poor boy looked exhausted. Seth called AJ and Roman, asking if they wanted to come over for a bit. They both said yes.

Ten minutes later both men arrived at Seth's house. Seth made them both a cup of coffee and caught them up on what had been happening to Jon. They didn't know what to think of the current situation and didn't know whether to believe it or not.

Seth lead them upstairs to the spare room. He wanted them to see the bruises on Jon's neck and the cuts on his face. Maybe then they would believe it.

"What in the world?" AJ gasped. "Are you sure that his fiance did this to him? It could have just happened in a match."

"No, it was definitely him. The things Jon was saying last night hinted towards it, but he won't fully admit it." Seth sighed. "I just wanna help him, but I don't think he wants my help."

"You gotta let him do what he wants. He's a free man." Roman said, standing uncomfortably in the door way. "I know it's hard to see him like this, but the dude has to make his own decisions. I say we go talk to his fiance though and maybe punch him in the face."

"As much as I would love to punch that dick in the face, it's a bad idea. It would only get Jon in trouble." Seth didn't know what to do. "I'm gonna go back downstairs." Seth sighed. "You guys coming?"

"Yeah." Roman made his way towards the door. "AJ?"

"Uh, I'm just gonna stay in here for a minute." AJ replied. 

"Okay, see you in a bit." Seth and Roman made their way downstairs and started watching TV.

AJ sat on the bed next to his friends sleeping frame. He felt a warm tear make its way down his face. He didn't like seeing Jon like this. He deserved better. AJ just wanted to help Jon out. He meant the world to AJ and he couldn't bare to see his friend get hurt.

Jon started to stir awake. He groaned quietly, before opening his eyes. It took him a while to realize where he was, but eventually he remembered. AJ didn't know what to say so he just kept quiet.

"AJ?" Jon mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check that you were okay. Seth told me about what happened." AJ replied. His heart broke when he saw the pain on Jon's face.

"I'm fine. It's nothing new."

"Just because it's happened before doesn't meant it's right. You shouldn't have to put up with it."

"Leave it. Seth has already tried to get me to break up with him, I don't need you going on about it too. Sami is the only person who's ever loved me as much as I love him. He only hurts me if I do something wrong so it's not really a problem. I need to learn how to behave myself." Jon sighed. He seemed fed up.

"I loved you." AJ blurted out. "I-I love you, still. And I know that Seth loves you as well, so don't think that Sami is the only one. And even if you do something wrong, you shouldn't get beat up because of it. It's not right."

"Yeah, well it's not your life so just but out." Jon mumbled as he got up from the bed and made his way out of the room.

"Jon, where are you going?" AJ asked.

"I'm going to the warehouse to get ready for my match tonight and then I'm going home."

"Wait, you should talk to us first-"

"I'm done talking with you guys. I don't need you in my life. Why do you think I changed my name?" Jon raised his voice, alerting Seth and Roman. "You need to leave me alone. All of you. I don't need your help. I'm perfectly happy with my relationship and I'm not gonna let you ruin it!" Jon shouted, storming down the stairs and out of the house.

AJ tried to run after him, but Roman stopped him. They couldn't force him to stay. He had a different life now.


	6. You soothe my pain - Part 6

The warehouse was full of people backstage, getting ready for the night. They had one more show in Iowa and then they would be on their way back home for Monday. Jon traveled the never ending halls, trying to find Sami. He wanted to give his fiance a big hug and kiss. Being with Seth, Roman and AJ made him realize how much he really loved Sami.

Sami was in the locker room getting changed into his ring gear. He wondered where Jon was. He hadn't seen him all morning. He was slightly worried about his fiance. What if something bad had happened to him? His worry disappeared however, when Jon made his way into the locker room and ran up to hug Sami.

"I missed you." Jon whispered, his head pressed against Sami's chest in a warm embrace.

"I missed you too, baby." Sami cooed, holding onto Jon tightly. "Don't worry. I'm here now."

"I love you." 

"I love you too." Both men shared a kiss.

Jon got changed into his ring gear and spent the rest of the afternoon by Sami's side. 

Seth was at the show again. He wanted to talk to Jon, but he didn't get the chance. Jon ignored him the whole time. He refused to make eye contact. 

Seth made his way backstage after the show. He didn't know where he got the confidence from, but some how he managed to go into the men's locker room without chickening out. Jon was the first to see him. Sami turned to look at the door, when Jon hid behind his larger frame. He was furious with what he saw.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get out!" Sami shouted. 

"Look, I just wanna talk to Jon for a minute." Seth sighed. Sami could hear Jon whispering 'No.' behind his back.

"He doesn't want to talk to you. Leave."

"How do you know he doesn't wanna talk to me? Let him answer for himself." Seth was starting to get angry. Sami turned his head to see a scared look on Jon's face.

"Jon, do you wanna talk to him?" Sami asked. Jon shook his head, hiding himself even more behind his fiance. "Well, there's your answer. Do I need to call security or are you gonna show yourself out?"

"I'll show myself out, thanks. Oh, and Jon?" Jon looked up slightly to see Seth's face. "I finally paid off all of your hospital bills from April. You're welcome." Seth sighed, walking out of the room.

"Hospital bills?" Sami asked once Seth had left. He looked confused.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later." Jon sighed. "Can we go now? I just wanna go to bed."

"Of course sweetie. Our flight is in an hour, so we should head for the airport." Sami replied.

Jon looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion, so Sami picked him up bridal style and carried him out to the car. He fell asleep within seconds.

__________

The flight home was peaceful. Both men slept the entire journey. They made it back home early Monday morning and got straight into bed to sleep once again.

Sami awoke first and watched Jon as he rested. The gentle rise and fall of his chest calmed Sami in a way that nothing else ever had. He was so lucky to have Jon as his fiance. Everything was perfect apart from Seth, suddenly coming into their lives and trying to take Jon away. There was no way in hell that Sami would allow that to happen. Jon was his.

Jon awoke soon after Sami. The two men spent some time hugging one another in bed, before going downstairs to have some breakfast.

"Hey Jon?" Sami wanted to ask his fiance about something.

"Yeah?" 

"What did Seth mean when he said he paid for your hospital bills?" Sami was worried about what Seth had said. What if something was wrong with Jon?

"Uh, in April I-I overdosed on sleeping pills. I wasn't happy so I-" Jon started to cry.

"Hey, baby it's okay. Don't cry." Sami soothed his lover with a hug.

"I-I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for." Sami hated seeing Jon so upset. "Why did you do it?"

"I don't really know. It's a mix-ture o-of things."

"Well, I've got all day. There's no rush. If you want to tell me you can."

"Um, I di-didn't like working for the WWE and I was stressed out. I was feeling really guilty about something I had done that had upset Seth, and I lost my match. I just lost it. I couldn't imagine myself being alive. I wanted to die. I was just fed up with everything." Jon sobbed.

"Hey, shh. Let it all out. It's okay." Sami held Jon on his lap and kept him tight in a warm embrace. "I love you so much, baby."

"I-I lo-ve you too."

"Calm down, you'll make yourself ill with all that crying." Sami stroked his fiance's hair as he cried into his chest. He stood up and carried Jon over to the sofa, so they could lay down. 

After a while Jon's crying started to calm. Sami wiped away his lover's tears and whispered soothing things into his ear.

"Do you wanna watch a movie, babe?" Sami asked. Jon nodded. "What do you wanna watch?"

"I don't mind. You pick." Jon sniffed.

"Okay, how about Gladiator?" Sami knew that it was one of Jon's favorite films. Jon smiled and nodded his head in response. 

The rest of the day was spent with the two men snuggled up on the sofa, watching films and eating junk food.

__________

Seth was confused as to why Jon hid from him. It wasn't as if he was going to hurt him. He just wanted to talk. Sami must have messed him up real bad. He'd never seen Jon act this way before and they had known each other for a very long time.

Why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn't Jon have stayed with the WWE or with Seth? Why couldn't he have kept his birth name? Jon was a terrible name in Seth's eyes. He definitely preferred Dean. He wanted his old friend back. He wanted his boyfriend back. He wanted to be Jon's fiance. Why did he have to screw it all up at that stupid family Easter party?

Breaking Jon's heart was the one thing Seth regretted most about his life. It tore him apart day and night. The constant guilt eating him up from the inside. People noticed. Roman and AJ could see a change in Seth. A change that wasn't safe. He needed help, before anything bad happened.


	7. Say praise with your body - Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I was wondering if you had any ideas for what should happen in this fanfic. I would love to incorporate your thoughts to make this story more interesting and interactive. Just leave a comment with your ideas if you want to. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

The next morning Seth decided to invite AJ and Roman around once again. He had a lot of things he wanted to talk about. Most of them concerning Jon.

After a much needed cup of coffee, all three men made their way to the living room and got comfy on Seth's brand new leather sofa.

"So Seth, what's all this about?" Roman asked. He knew that this wasn't just a friendly gathering.

"Well, I think you know what it's about." Seth sighed. "We need to get Jon back. He's not safe with Sami."

"I understand what you mean, but it's his own life. We can't make him leave his fiance if he doesn't want to." Roman stated.

"No, I think Seth's right. I saw the cuts and the bruises. That's not what should be happening in a relationship. You should never hurt the person you love." AJ spoke for the first time that day. He was really passionate about the whole situation.

"I say we go to another CZW show and try and talk to Jon." Seth suggested. "I went to one last night. I managed to get backstage and into the locker room and Sami freaked out. It was like he wanted to murder me for being there. Jon was just hiding behind him. He wouldn't talk. He wouldn't even look at me." Seth's upset was clear to the other men.

"When's the next show in Iowa?" AJ asked.

"Not until next month, but I heard there's gonna be one on Thursday night in Missouri if you wanna come. It's not too far away."

"Yeah, we'll go. We got the day off so we can drive there the night before." AJ seemed really excited about seeing Jon. He wanted to clear things up between the two of them. He wanted to be friends with him again.

"Cool, then it's sorted." Seth smiled. "You guys going to the gym?"

"Yeah, only for an hour and then we gotta go to the Smackdown taping."

"Okay, I'm gonna join you at the gym and then go get some lunch."

All three men made there way to the gym. They had a great work out. It definitely helped Seth forget about all the troubles he was having.

Seth hadn't been the same since Jon had left. Jon had taken a part of Seth with him on that chilly April night.

The constant worry for Jon, circled Seth's mind 24/7. What if the situation was worse than he thought? What's gonna happen if Jon chooses to stay with his fiance? That is something Seth didn't want to happen. He was worried for Jon's mental and physical health. He had changed a lot since he had left and Seth didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The next few days passed by pretty quick and Seth, AJ and Roman were all on their way to Missouri. They were tightly packed into Seth's car, luggage on their laps. It wasn't the most entertaining car ride, since Seth was the only one awake, but Seth knew it would be worth it in the end.

They checked into the hotel and went to sleep straight away. Thursday would be a hectic day.

__________

Jon didn't have a good nights sleep. He was woken up at 3am by a drunk Sami Callihan, who knew what he wanted. He wanted sex. Jon didn't, but he didn't want to fight. He was too tired.

He wasn't able to sleep after that. He felt too disgusted. Instead he had a shower, drank five cups of coffee and smoked two cigarettes.

He wasn't happy. He didn't know how to be happy, but he wanted to be. He was more than grateful for everything he had. Sami was his everything. Jon was so lucky to have him, but he still couldn't smile a genuine smile. They were all fake.

Jon's back ached from earlier on in the morning. He just hoped that Sami would sober up without a hangover.

He hated dealing with Sami's hangovers. He was always so moody. It upset Jon to see him like that, but he couldn't do anything about it.

Sometimes he wished that he could go to sleep and never wake up. Everything would be so much easier that way. He wouldn't have to deal with his depression and paranoia, which is something he was diagnosed with a month ago. Sami tried to help make Jon feel better, but it never worked. He would only be somewhat okay for a certain amount of time, before returning to his miserable, old self.

All he wanted was a little love. He didn't know if Sami was telling the truth when he told him he loved him. It didn't sound real. He couldn't feel the love.

He felt the love when he was with Seth, but that had faded. Jon no longer loved Seth. At least that was what Sami said. Jon wasn't sure who he loved anymore. It was all too much effort.

He started his third cigarette of the morning and pondered his thoughts. He had a lot of things to think about during these few hours of peace. Why was he with Sami? Why did he say yes to his fiance's proposal? Why was he thinking like this? It wasn't right. Sami did everything for Jon, he didn't deserve all this hate.

Jon couldn't help but be a jerk. It was a part of his personality, and it had gotten him a few punches to the face. He just hoped that Sami could see the real him underneath the dirty layer of hatred. It was only a matter of time before that layer was wiped away. Jon was breaking. And it couldn't be stopped.


	8. The harsh reality - Part 8

Seth, AJ and Roman made their way to the small warehouse that held the upcoming CZW show. The show would start in less than 20 minutes. Tensions were high as the three men realized that they would be seeing their long lost friend once again. How would he react to their presence? Hopefully it didn't go too badly. They didn't want to cause a scene.

They found their seats, which were in the second row, and waited for the event to begin. Seth had butterflies in his stomach. He really wanted Jon to be safe, but he knew his friend wasn't going to give in so easily.

The show began and there were a few good matches before the main event. Jon was partnered up with Sami and they were wrestling against Blk Jeez and Pepper Parks.

The match was thirty minutes of awesomeness and the three men in the audience were really getting into it. It was as if they had forgotten all about their current situation. They were brought back to reality however, when Sami punched Jon in the face.

At first they thought it was part of a story line, maybe their team was breaking up, but once they saw the tears on Jon's face they realized that this wasn't a work.

Seth pushed past the people in the front row and jumped over the barricade. He was closely followed by Roman and AJ. As soon as Seth got into the ring he grabbed Sami by his hair and threw him to the ground, before punching him in the face and making his nose bleed.

AJ ran over to Jon to make sure he was okay. He was still shielding himself and he looked hurt. Roman was shouting at Sami. Insulting him and telling him how pathetic he was.

The manager of the company had no idea what was going on. He didn't know who was in the wrong. Sami was beating his fiance for some unscripted reason, and three men from the crowd were assaulting Sami. He decided to call the police and let them make the decision of who they were going to arrest.

__________

All five men were taken to the police station. Jon was crying, Sami was shouting, AJ and Roman were keeping quiet and Seth was staring at his ex-lover's fiance in disgust.

The were all interviewed separately about what had happened earlier on in the night and the officers came to the decision to keep Sami in the cells for a few weeks, before they had a trial. He was arrested for domestic abuse and public disturbance (aka beating his fiance in public) 

No one knew for sure if he would be sentenced to prison for his crime, until after his trial.

Jon was furious. He was sobbing hysterically and shouting at everyone. He kept punching walls and slamming doors in anger that his love had been taken away from him.

"How could you do this to me?" Jon screamed. It hurt his fellow friends to hear the pain in his voice. "You can't just force your way into my life and then take away the only thing that I love! What is wrong with you? You're sick! All of you!" Roman could see Seth's heart break. He knew he needed to step in and calm Jon down.

"Hey Jon, come with me for a minute. I think you need a smoke." Roman smiled. He knew about Jon's dirty habit.

"Yeah, I do." Jon mumbled, storming out of the room with Roman close behind him. The two men ended up in the car park at the front of the police station. Jon started smoking his cigarette.

"Look Jon, I think you need to hear what I'm about to say. And this is coming from me, your friend, not one of your ex-boyfriends." Roman sighed. He had gotten Jon's attention.

"I know you love Sami. I'm guessing he was really nice to begin with, but then he turned bad after you had dated him for a while, right?" Jon nodded, looking at the ground. Roman continued.

"Well, you shouldn't have to deal with his bad side. You've been in relationships before, so surely you should know by now that it's not right for your partner to hit you."

"Yeah I know that, but he loves me-"

"No he doesn't." Roman wasn't going to let his friend make excuses. "He wouldn't hurt you if he loved you. It's as simple as that. You love him and want to be with him, so you pretend that he loves you so that it doesn't hurt as much." As much as Jon hated to admit it, Roman was right.

"I just want someone to love me." Jon croaked as he held back his tears.

"People do love you. You don't have to be in a relationship for someone to love you. I love you. You're my best friend and you've always been there for me even when I've been a jerk to you. I owe you a lot and I want to help you." Roman smiled sympathetically.

"I don't need help."

"Jon." Roman sighed. "Just listen to yourself. You're broken. You're lonely. You need love and there are so many people who can give it to you, but Sami isn't one of them."

"Yeah." Jon cried. "I guess you're right, but I can't let him go. He might not love me but I still love him."

"I know. It will take some time, but eventually you'll be able to let go of him. It'll be for the best."

"Thank you Roman, you're such a great friend. I don't deserve you." Jon gave Roman a hug.

"Hey, you deserve me buddy. You're better than you think. Do you wanna go talk to the others?"

"Okay."

"Come on then, lets go." Both men made their way back into the station.

Seth and AJ were sat in the waiting room. They weren't talking. They looked tired. Jon knew that he had upset them earlier by shouting at them and he wanted to apologize for his behavior. Roman had helped him realize how much his friends meant to him.

"H-hey guys." Jon greeted as he walked into the waiting room. Both men looked up.

"Hey." They replied in unison.

"Um, I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier. I was just overwhelmed by everything. Now that I've kind of got my head around things I realize that I was in the wrong. You were trying to help me. I shouldn't have shouted at you." Jon sighed.

"It's okay. You didn't mean what you said. It's obvious that you were upset and we all say things we don't mean when we're upset. I'm just glad you're okay." AJ smiled.

Seth stood up and walked over to Jon, giving him a hug.

"I'm sorry for making you mad. I just hated seeing you so hurt all the time." Seth cried.

"It's okay, you didn't make me mad. I did that to myself. Don't worry about it." Jon hugged back.

A police officer walked into the room.

"You guys are free to go when you are ready. We will update you on when the trial is within the next week or so." 

"Okay, thank you." Roman replied. "Should we go?"

"Wait." Jon said. "I just wanna see Sami quickly. I promise I'll only be one minute."

"Alright, but don't upset yourself again."

"I won't."

The police officer lead Jon to the temporary cell that Sami was being held in. There was a small slot in the door that the two men spoke through.

"Hey baby, how are you? Have you come to get me out?" Sami asked, acting like a sweetheart.

"You are scum and you're gonna rot in hell for what you've done to me." Jon growled.

"Babe, calm down-"

"Shut your damn mouth. I never want to speak to you again. We're over." Jon took off his engagement ring and threw it through the small slot in the door, before walking off back to the waiting room.

"You good?" Roman asked Jon.

"Yeah, let's go." 

It had been a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I want to give credit to ambreigns_asylum14 (on Wattpad) for giving me the idea of Roman having a heart to heart (friendship) moment with Dean/Jon. Also I would like to give credit to someone else for giving me the idea of having Sami beat up Jon in the ring. Sadly they don't have an account so I don't know their name, but thank you guys for giving me your ideas! Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. The past is no longer the present - Part 9

Seth awoke to a loud, pain filled scream. The room was dark. It definitely wasn't morning. Just as he was about to go back to sleep, the noise came again. This time louder and more terrifying than before. Seth knew that scream.

He jumped up out of bed and made his way to the room that Jon was sleeping in, tripping over numerous items on the floor on his way there. AJ and Roman joined him in the corridor, confusion and fear clear on their faces.

Seth rushed to open the door and go inside the spare room. Jon was laying in the middle of the bed. His body held together in a tight ball. He was shaking. Crying. Seth made his way over to Jon slowly, he didn't want to startle him.

He climbed onto the bed and placed his hand gentely upon Jon's side. The sudden touch made the weak man jump, but he soon melted into the kind gesture when he realized who it was. The room was silent apart from a few sniffles that escaped Jon's nose.

"Hey." Seth whispered, not wanting to make the situation uncomfortable.

"H-hey" Jon replied. AJ and Roman could see that Jon felt awkward, so they left the room to allow their friend some peace with Seth. He always knew how to deal with these situations.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Seth asked, rubbing smooth circles on Jon's back.

"Y-yes"

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No-not really. It's st-stupid." Jon started to cry again.

"Don't be silly. It's not stupid, whatever it is." Seth smiled lying down on the bed, facing the back of his friends head. "You know I won't judge you."

"It was about Sa-" Jon's voice cut off as another sob wracked through his body.

"Shh, It's okay." Seth soothed as he stroked Jon's hair.

"It was about him." Jon whispered.

"Don't worry about it, okay? He's gone now. He's not gonna hurt you."

"H-he's hurting me right now."

"What do you mean?" Seth was worried for his friend's mental state.

"I can still hear him, feel him. He's never gonna leave me." It broke Seth's heart to see Jon in so much pain. Why couldn't the poor boy get a break?

Seth didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say to make Jon feel better and he knew it. This was only the first of many breakdowns and Seth was yet to perfect what he was going to say. He didn't want to hurt or upset his friend, but he wanted to get his point across.

"Physically, he's not here and he can't touch you. Mentally, he's here. He's on your mind all the time, but we can work on that. Over time you'll learn to forget. You just need to try and focus on the now. The past is no longer the present." Seth watched as his friend turned his body around so that they were facing each other.

"Thank you." Jon said. "You're too nice to me."

"Well, you're my friend and you're a nice person too." Seth smiled.

"Why did you help me?"

"Because, I saw that you were in trouble. I saw the fear in your eyes. I knew that you were lying when you said you were happy and I couldn't stand to see you unhappy." 

"Sometimes I was happy." Jon sighed. Both men stayed quiet. They were comfortable in each others company. It felt right.

"I don't like my name." Jon sighed once again.

"Which one?"

"Jon."

"Then why'd you change it?" Seth asked.

"He didn't want you to find me so he made me change my name."

"Did you do it legally? Through the law?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we'll have to change it back to 'Dean' at some point." Seth smiled.

"I would love that. Could you call me 'Dean' from now on?" Dean asked.

"Of course. It would be my pleasure." Seth laughed. "We should probably get some sleep, you look exhausted."

"I don't wanna go back to sleep." Seth could see the fear in Dean's eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna be here, right by your side from the moment you fall asleep to the moment you wake up. I'm not leaving."

"Okay, thank you." Dean smiled. "Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams, Dean."

__________

The morning arrived quickly. Dean and Roman were left on their own in Seth's house, as Seth and AJ had gone out food shopping.

The two men were sat on the sofa, in the warm, cosy living room, watching old wrestling matches. Dean had his knees held tightly up to his chest. He was still very protective over his body after everything that had happened.

Roman took in everything about Dean. His posture, the way he shielded himself, they way he'd flinch at the slightest of touch to his body. Sami broke him.

"What was it like?" Roman asked. Dean looked up at Roman in shock, knowing what his friend meant.

"Uh, um." Dean didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell people what had happened, and get it all off of his chest, but he didn't want Roman thinking he was weak.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted to ask, y'know?" Roman felt bad for asking.

"I-It was scary." Dean murmered. "I didn't like it."

"I don't think anyone would like something like that happening to them." Roman sighed. "Did you ever try to leave him before we found you?"

"No. He made it pretty clear what he would do to me if I ever tried to leave him. That's why I never want him to get out of prison."

"What did he say he was gonna do?" Roman was scared to know the answer.

"Kill me." Dean started to cry. "I mean, I wanted to die anyway but not like that. I don't want him to kill me."

"Hey, I promise that he will never lay a hand on you ever again. As long as I'm around, he ain't getting anywhere near you and I know that Seth and AJ think the same. You're safe, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Dean was grateful for his friends. He wished that he had never left them in the first place. Everything would have been so much better if he had just stayed by their side. He hoped that they could all be happy in the future, but he knew that wouldn't happen.

Eventually, it would all go wrong. They would get tired of Dean and get rid of him. He would be forced to be on his own once again. And he'd just have to live with that.


	10. These nightmares always hang on past the dream - Part 10

The next day was a peaceful day for Dean. AJ and Roman were at the gym getting ready for work later on in the evening, so Dean was chilling out with Seth at home. It was just past noon when Dean's stomach started to rumble. Seth could hear it from the other side of the room.

"Whoa, are you hungry?" Seth asked, with a little giggle at the end.

"Um, yeah." Dean replied, suddenly shy. Seth remembered that Dean wasn't very good with food.

"Do you wanna go out and get some lunch? There's a nice cafe a couple of roads down, which has the best burgers and chips." Seth smiled, hoping that would persuade Dean. He knew how much he loved burgers.

"O-okay, as long as it's okay with you. I haven't got any money so-"

"Don't worry about money. I got you covered." Seth didn't want Dean to feel bad about not having money. "Come on, I'm starving."

The two men made their way to the cafe. They walked there, since it wasn't too far away. Dean felt very relaxed. It was unusual for him to feel this way, since he had spent so much time being tense recently. 

They arrived at the cafe and ordered their food. They both got a burger and chips.

"So, what have I missed on WWE?" Dean asked.

"Not much really, the majority of the main talent are out on injury. But there's been a big story-line fued between AJ and Roman." Seth said, thanking the waiter as she gave them their food.

"Really? How'd that happen?"

"Well, there was a number one contenders match, which AJ won. And then they had a match at Payback. Oh and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to help AJ, but Roman is still the champion."

"Cool, Roman would murder AJ if he beat him for the title." Dean laughed. "I've noticed lately that those two have bonded a lot. Roman use to hated AJ's guts."

"Yeah, that's understandable." Seth laughed. "But when you left we all bonded in order to help each other out. It was hard not having you around. Especially for me. We didn't exactly have the best goodbye." Seth sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologies. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have said what I said to my nephew. We probably would still be together and you wouldn't have had to deal with Sami." Dean flinched at the name.

"I think tensions rose over the whole AJ thing, though. I'm sorry for that. I don't know why I did it to be honest."

"We both did bad things in our relationship. I'm just glad there's no hard feelings, y'know?" Seth smiled.

"Yeah. Thank you for being there for me."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

The two men finished their dinner and headed back home. The first thing Seth saw when he stepped into his house, was a letter on the floor, addressed to Dean. He picked it up and gave it to dean. He had a feeling he knew what it was.

Dean opened up the letter and his face instantly dropped.

"What is it?" Seth asked, worry clear on his face.

"The trial." Dean's voice cracked as he said the later word. "It's next week." Tears started to form in Dean's eyes and Seth knew that his friend needed comfort, so he leaned in and gave Dean a hug.

Dean sobbed in Seth's arms. He didn't know what emotions he was supposed to feel. Should he be happy that Sami might go to prison for a long time? Or should he be sad that Sami might not go to prison at all?

"It's gonna be okay, Deano. No matter what happens me, AJ and Roman will make sure he stays away from you. You're not leaving us again. I'm not gonna let him hurt you." Seth soothed his friend as he rubbed his back.

"Do you wanna take a nap and take your mind off of it?" Seth asked. Dean simply nodded. "Okay, let's go upsairs."

Seth tucked Dean into bed and was about to leave the room, but Dean reached out to grab his arm.

"Stay with me?" Dean whispered. "Please?"

"Okay." Seth got into bed and cuddled up with Dean. "Get some rest. Roman and AJ will be back soon. Sleep tight."

Dean snuggled his head into Seth's chest. He loved the warmth that surrounded him whenever he was near Seth.

__________

Roman and AJ returned to a silent house. They were confused as to why Seth's house was so quiet, but they soon figured out the reason. Seth and Dean were cuddled up in bed. Dean was asleep, but Seth was awake.

"Hey guys." Seth whispered. "Good day at work?"

"Yeah, we had a good match." Roman laughed, flicking AJ in the head.

"Dude, don't do that." AJ groaned, holding his head.

"I punched him a little too hard and now he's got a headache." Roman told Seth.

"Oh right." Seth laughed. "There's ice in the freezer."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." AJ sighed, heading downstairs.

"How's he been?" Roman asked looking at Dean.

"He was doing good for most of the day. We went out for dinner which was nice, but he got upset once we got home. The letter for the trial came today and I think he's a bit overwhelmed by it all."

"Well, that's understandable. I think I would be overwhelmed if I had to go through what he went through." Roman sighed.

"Yeah, I just hope he get's better soon. Hopefully seeing Sami go to jail will boost his spirits." Seth laughed slightly, stroking Dean's hair. 

"It'll work out. Don't worry. He'll be back to his old self in no time." Roman smiled. "Anyway, It's getting late so I'm gonna head to bed. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight Roman."

Seth fell asleep after his conversation with Roman. He hoped that the Samoan was right. He wanted Dean to be okay again. He hated seeing him so upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So, what do you think should happen with Sami? I was thinking that he would somehow stalk Dean whether he's in prison or not, but I would like to know your opinions and ideas on Sami as well. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. You were asking for it - Part 11

A week had passed since Dean had received that horrible letter. The trial was less than two hours away. Seth was frantically pacing around his house trying to find his shoes, whilst Dean, Roman and AJ were sat on the sofa trying to stay calm.

Dean didn't want to come off as weak to his friends, so he tried his best to hide his emotions. He was terrified of what the Jury would decide. He hoped that Sami would be locked away for life.

Their cab arrived an hour before the trial, leaving them a rushing mess. The court was 30 minutes away, so they had to rush in order to get there on time.

They were greeted by someone in a suit and taken into a waiting room where they had to sign their names and ages.

After waiting in the dull room for ten minutes, and almost going insane, the four men were led into the court room and sat down in the front row.

The trial began and the four men were asked to stand as the Judge and Jury entered the room.

The sight of Sami disgusted Dean. How could he be so calm in such a terrifying situation. He even had a slight smirk on his face. He was sick.

The Judge called Dean up to the stand. They addressed him as Jon, because legally he hadn't changed his name back.

"Jonathon Moxley, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"Yes, your honor." Dean replied, feeling nervous. The Judge then started to speak.

"Mr Moxley, you are here today to get justice for your case, correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"In my files here it says that Mr Callihan, abused you mentally, physically and sexually during your relationship. Am I right in thinking this is the truth?"

"Yes it's true, your honor."

"We have three people here today who are witnesses to this abuse. Mr Seth Rollins, would you care to stand."

Seth stood up and faced the judge. He also had to swear the oath of the court.

"Mr Rollins, could you tell me of one of your experiences, seeing Sami abuse Jon please."

"Yes, your honor. Mr Styles, Mr Reigns and myself were at a Combat Zone Wrestling show a few weeks back. I already had my suspicions about what was happening, because Jon had come home with me a few nights before and hinted towards certain things."

The look on Sami's face when Seth said that, was pure fury.

"The match we were watching had finished and Jon had lost. Sami started beating up Jon in the ring. At first I thought it was part of the show, but when I saw the terror on Jon's face, I realized that it was real. There have been other times where I've seen things happen as well, your honor."

"Thank you Mr Rollins." The Judge looked through his papers. "Mr Moxley, could you show us the scar that was given to you by Mr Callihan, please?"

Dean lifted his shirt to show a rather large scar across his stomach.

"How did you get that scar, Mr Moxley?"

"Sami smashed a glass bottle and tried stabbing me with it, but he only scratched me luckily, your honor." Dean felt very uncomfortable.

"Thank you Mr Moxley, you can be seated now." Dean joined his friends in the front row. Seth grabbed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Mr Callihan, could you please step up to the stand." The court room was silent. Dean started to sweat. Sami had to swear the courts oath.

"Mr Callihan, do you have any explanation as to why you did this to Mr Moxley?"

"I-I was sick, your honor." Sami gulped. "I wasn't right in the head." Dean could see right through Sami's disguise. He knew that Sami would get less time in prison if he claimed to be mentally ill.

The rest of the trial was tense and upsetting for Dean, but in the end he got justice. Sami was proven guilty and sentenced to 5 months in prison and 2 months probation. Seth argued that that wasn't enough time, but Dean was just happy to get a few months away from Sami.

__________

The four men decided to go to the pub and celebrate with a pint of beer. It had been a stressful day and they were happy to be able to relax.

"A toast to Mr Ambrose, who is now a free man!" Seth stood up and and raised his glass. Everyone clinked their drinks together.

"Thanks guys." Dean smiled. "I couldn't have done it without ya."

"No need to thank us Deano." AJ replied. "We were just helping a friend out. Now, who's ready to get shitfaced?"

"Me!" They all shouted in unison, sounding a little childish to the passers by.

After four pints of beer and two shots, Dean was completely out of it. The rest of the night was a blur of fuzzy colours, dancing around in his vision.

Dean awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside of his window. Only a small amount of sunlight made it through the un-closed curtains. His head hurt, but not as much as he expected it too. A few painkillers would get rid of the ache.

Dean wondered what had happened the night before. Had they all got home safely? Where was everyone else? He was alone with his thoughts until he heard a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in." Dean frowned, still not fully awake. It was Seth. "Hey."

"Hey, I didn't know if you were awake or not." Seth smiled, sitting down next to Dean on the bed. "A letter came for you in the mail this morning. It looks hand written."

"Who would write me a letter?" Dean asked, confused.

"I don't know, maybe you have a secret admirer." Seth laughed. "I'm gonna go make myself a coffee, do you want one?"

"Yes please."

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute." Seth smiled, leaving the room.

Dean contemplated all the possibilities behind the letter. The address on the front was hand written so surely it couldn't be anything professional. 

He fiddled with the small piece of paper in his hands for what seemed like forever, before finally becoming impatient and ripping off the seal. Dean grabbed the piece of paper that lay inside the envelope. It was tiny, smaller than his hand and it said two simple words that made Dean's heart race.

'Hi Jon.'


	12. Old friendships never die - Part 12

Dean's hand shook as he re-read the two sickening words, scribbled across the miniature piece of paper. He recognized that hand writing. It was from the Devil himself, Sami, but how did he get the letter to Dean? So many questions circled around Dean's mind. He jumped suddenly, when he saw Seth walk into the room.

"Hey man, you alright?" Seth looked confused as to why Dean was so shook up.

"Yeah, um I was just daydreaming and you scared me." Dean laughed. It wasn't a complete lie.

Seth passed Dean his coffee and they spent the next five minutes sat in silence, sipping away at their hot drinks.

"Who was the letter from?" Seth asked. Dean instantly started to worry. He didn't want to burden Seth with more of his problems.

"Oh, uh It was just someone from CZW saying congrats on leaving Sami and everything."

"That's nice. I'll have to meet him one day, he seems to be the only person from that company who was nice to you." Seth sighed.

"Yeah." The room fell silent once again. "So where are AJ and Roman?"

"They're downstairs. Roman just got up, but AJ is still asleep. You need to force him to wake up. The guy never stops sleeping, I swear." Seth laughed. "Hey, do you wanna go to the WWE live show that's on tonight? You can catch up with a few old friends."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Dean replied. He hadn't talked to Kevin Owens in ages and he hoped that he could bump into him for a chat.

"Cool. We've got a long time before the show so what do you wanna do?" Seth asked, suddenly ready to face the day.

"Can we just stay in and watch movies?" Dean really enjoyed watching movies.

"Of course." Seth smiled.

Roman and AJ went to the gym before work, so Dean and Seth had the afternoon to themselves. They had lunch and watched movies.

They left to make their way to the live show. They weren't going to be watching it from the audience's perspective, they were going backstage.

__________

As soon as they opened the door to the locker room, they were greeted with a roar of 'Heys' and 'Oh my gods.' The numerous men that filled the room had a look of disbelief on their faces. They hadn't seen or heard from Dean in months.

When Owens saw his best friend standing at the door he ran over and gave Dean a big hug. It was an emotional moment for the two men.

"I missed you, man." Kevin said, holding onto his friend just in case he decided to leave again.

"I missed you too, Kev." Dean smiled. It felt great to be back. The two men finally finished hugging.

"Where were you? Why didn't you call?" Kevin asked, wanting to know why Dean had been ignoring him for the past five months.

"I was in a few places, but mostly in Denver, Colorado. And I couldn't call because I didn't have a phone." Dean sighed. Kevin could sense that something wasn't right and he knew that Dean wanted to tell him, but he didn't want the unwanted attention from the rest of the locker room.

"Wanna go to catering?" Owens asked. Dean nodded.

Once they found a hidden away seat in the cafeteria, the story telling began.

"So, I joined a wrestling company called CZW just over a month ago. That's how I met Sami, my ex-fiance." Dean began. Kevin listened intently.

"That relationship was just a train wreck from the get go, but I was too much of a fool to see it. Sami made me change my name, so that no one could find me and he wouldn't let me have a phone. He said you guys were bad and for a short amount of time, I believed him." Dean sighed.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I thought you had gone to Mexico or something." Kevin laughed, causing his friend to laugh as well.

"Well, he pretty much controlled me for a month and then Seth somehow found me. He came to one of the shows with AJ and Roman. I freaked out on them and ran off. Then they kept trying to find me because they knew what was happening and eventually they helped me, told the police about everything."

"You've been through a lot then." Kevin said, not knowing how to approach the situation. "But I'm glad that you're back and that you're no longer with that guy. He sounds like a jerk."

"Yeah, he was." Dean laughed. "Anyway, what have you been up to recently?"

"Not much, Found out my wife was pregnant, so that's something to be excited about."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Dean smiled. "There's gonna be a mini Kevin."

"That sounds terrifying." Owens laughed. "But yeah, I can't wait to meet the little one. Only 3 months to go."

"Do you know the gender yet?"

"Yeah, it's a boy." 

"Aww, you're gonna have a little boy. That's so cute." Dean was happy for his friend. "Do you think he'll follow in your footsteps and become a wrestler?"

"I hope not." Kevin laughed. "This job is way too much effort."

The two men spent another hour talking, before they headed to the gorilla. Kevin had a match against Sami Zayn.

Dean found Seth, AJ and Roman in the gorilla, watching Kevin's match on one of the monitors.

"Hey." Dean greeted them.

"Hey Dean, we thought we'd lost you." Seth laughed.

"Nah, I was just catching up with Owens."

"That's nice, did he tell you about the baby?"

"Yeah." Dean smiled. "It's gonna be a mini Kevin."

Dean and Seth wished Roman and AJ luck for their match that they had up next. The two men were facing each other in the main event along side their tag mates.

The match was fun to watch and it really caught Dean's attention. Their moves were performed perfectly. He had forgotten what technical wrestling looked like. He was so use to doing the violent kind.

After the match all four men said their goodbyes. Roman and AJ were travelling to the next state ready for the next show, so Seth and Dean wouldn't see them until the next week.

Seth and Dean made their way home and headed to bed. It had been a long, but eventful day for both of them.

__________

The next day, Dean awoke and made his way downstairs. Seth was still asleep. The first thing Dean saw when he passed the front door, was an envelope laying on the door mat.

The address on the front was hand written and Dean knew straight away what it was. It was another letter from Sami. He wanted to throw it away, but curiosity got the better of him. He made sure that Seth was definitely asleep, before tearing the envelope open and taking out the piece of paper from inside.

Just like the previous morning, his heart raced as he read the words, and then his heart stopped altogether.

'I miss you baby, I can see that you're getting close to that kid with the tight pants and the black hair. If you get any closer to him, I'll kill him and then I'll kill you.'


	13. Home Sweet Home - Part 13

Dean threw the the letter in the bin.

How was Sami doing this? How did Sami know that Dean and Seth were getting 'close'? He was in prison, in a cell, locked away from the outside world. But somehow he was watching Dean and contacting him. It didn't make sense.

Dean didn't know whether to believe the letter or not. Would Sami really kill Seth and Dean if they got too 'close'? They had only gone out to a live show, with their other friends, so what was Sami talking about? They hadn't been getting 'close'. Dean didn't even know if he liked Seth in that way anymore.

Just as he left his thoughts, Seth entered the room.

"Morning." Seth smiled, grabbing a box of cereal from the kitchen cupboard.

"Morning." Dean mumbled. He didn't want to be near Seth right now. He needed time to think.

"You okay?" Seth asked sensing the obvious annoyance in Dean's voice.

"I'm fine." Dean left the room and took a deep breath. He didn't want to be mean to Seth, but he also didn't want to spend the day with Seth. He just wanted to be alone for a few hours.

"Do you wanna go out to the cinema today? I heard that the new Angry Birds film is good." Seth shouted out from the kitchen. Dean sighed.

"Maybe." Dean shouted back. "I'm gonna have a shower." He needed to clear his head.

The hot water certainly helped to calm his nerves and un-tense his shoulders, which he was grateful for, but it didn't help solve any of his problems. What if someone saw them at the movies and told Sami? Dean couldn't risk letting Seth get hurt.

"Hey Dean, you alright in there?" Seth asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Yeah." Dean replied. "I'll be out in a minute." He needed more alone time. He felt over crowded.

"Okay, well the movie's on in an hour. Do you wanna go or not?" Seth asked.

"Um, just give me a sec." Dean replied. He didn't want to upset Seth by saying no, but he didn't know what else to do. Anyone could see them. It was best for them to stay in the house, with the doors and windows locked and the curtains shut.

Dean exited the bathroom to find Seth standing in the hallway, waiting for him.

"Made up your mind?" Seth asked, laughing slightly.

"Um, I wanna watch it y'know, but-" Dean didn't know what to say. "Maybe not today."

"Alright, that's cool. Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

"No thanks, I'm fine." Dean sighed.

"Well, I'm making you some anyway. You gotta eat."

Seth made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Dean was acting strange today. He had been improving with his social skills lately, but they seem to have faded since last night. Seth guessed that it had something to do with Sami. No sane person could get over something like that so easily.

Dean felt bad for distancing Seth. He didn't want to push him away, but he felt like he had to for his own safety. 

Dean ate his breakfast in silence. Seth was stood on the other side of the kitchen, looking out of the window. He looked like he was thinking about something. He looked upset.

"Do you wanna get a dog?" Seth asked, completely out of the blue, scaring Dean.

"Uhh... what?" Dean was confused by his friends sudden outburst.

"I want a dog. I'm gonna buy one today."

"Okay, are you sure? I mean, have you thought this through?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it for months, but there's just been too much going on. It's all starting to calm down now though, so why not? I'm just gonna go for it." Seth explained.

"Well, okay then." Dean replied, finishing off his breakfast. "Let's go get a dog." Dean didn't know where the sudden confidence came from.

The two men made their way to the animal shelter and instantly found the dog they wanted. He was a little Yorkshire Terrier named Kevin, but Seth and Dean decided to call him Kevin II so that he didn't get confused with Kevin Owens.

They made their way back home without any trouble. Dean just hoped that no one he knew saw them.

Seth spent the entire day playing with Kevin. It had reached the end of the day and Seth was sat next to Dean, cuddling with Kevin.

"Hey Dean?" Seth caught Dean's attention.

"Yeah?"

Dean turned his head to look at Seth, but was interrupted when his friend moved closer towards him and placed his lips on Dean's. Dean didn't know what to do. He didn't want this. He quickly pulled away and ran out of the house. He could hear the distant cry of Seth's voice as he ran, but he didn't stop.

After ten minutes of running, Dean slowed down to a walk. Weird thoughts were spinning through his mind, giving him a headache. Why would Seth do that? Dean decided to call Roman and tell him about what just happened.

"Hello?" Roman greeted.

"Rome, he just- he just k-kissed me." Dean gasped out, trying to catch his breath.

"What? Who?"

"Seth, he-he." Dean didn't know what to say.

"Why do you sound so upset? I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you."

"I-I don't know. It's just too much right now."

"I understand. But you gotta tell him how you feel. Tell him that you don't want that." Roman suggested. He knew that Seth loved Dean with all of his heart, but he did jump in too fast. Dean had only just gotten out of a bad relationship. The last thing he needed was Seth getting all lovey dovey.

"But, what if he gets mad at me and tells me to leave? I have no where to go. I have no money. I still like him, but I'm not ready yet." Dean cried on the other end of the phone.

"I know you're not ready, and don't feel bad about it. You're only human, you're allowed to have feelings. Seth isn't going to get rid of you, I promise. That kid thinks the world of you. Just talk to him and tell him that you're not ready. He'll understand." Roman soothed. He was definitely the person to go to when you were upset.

"Yeah, you're right. Thank you." Dean sniffed.

"No problem. I'm glad you called me for help instead of doing something stupid. You mean a lot to me brother, I can't stand to see you in pain."

"I know, same goes for you. Brothers for life right?"

"Hell yeah!" Roman laughed. "Anyway, I'm gonna head to bed. I'm knackered after my match."

"Alright, I'll text you later. Goodnight."

"Night."

Dean hung up and made his way down the dark streets back to Seth's house. He hoped that Seth wouldn't be mad at him for running off.

As he stood at the door he wondered what his next move would be. He didn't have the courage to walk straight in, without knocking. He knocked on the door and heard a quiet bark of a dog, Kevin II. Dean smiled. He was home.


	14. Stay with me - Part 14

The door opened and Seth appeared. His eyes were red and puffy. He had been crying.

"Dean, I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." Seth rushed out, feeling guilty for what he had done.

"Let's just talk about it." Dean commanded as he made his way into Seth's house and sat on the sofa.

"Okay, I just want to start off with I'm sorry. I know you're going through a lot right now and it was selfish for me to do that to you."

"Seth, listen okay? I know your sorry, you don't have to repeat your apologies. And yes you're right, I am going through a lot at the moment. I'm just not ready to dive into that sort of thing right now, y'know? It's too soon." Dean explained as Seth started to tear up again.

"It's okay, I get it." Seth smiled, trying to hold back his tears. He never wanted to hurt Dean, he was just madly in love.

"And." Dean started, sighing and wondering whether or not to continue his sentence. "I don't think I like you like that. You're my friend and I don't want that to change. I'm not in love with you anymore, Seth."

Seth burst out into tears as he heard the words that broke his heart a million times, all at once. He tried to contain his sobs and reply to Dean, but he didn't have the strength.

Dean sat there, awkwardly looking at Seth, not knowing what to do. Seth held his face in his hands as he cried. Dean had never seen his friend so upset, he felt bad for being the reason behind his friends sadness.

Eventually, Seth's sobs quietened into a small cry.

"I-I, I understand." Seth sniffed. "I'm sorry for p-putting you through that."

"It's okay, you didn't know how I felt." Dean tried to comfort Seth with words, but it didn't work very well. "Do you want me to leave?" Dean asked, feeling guilty for causing all of Seth's tears.

"No no, you have no where to go. The spare room is all yours until you find a place of your own." Seth replied. He wanted Dean to leave. Not because he was mean, but because he was too embarrassed to talk to him after what had just happened.

"Okay, I'm gonna head to bed then." Dean sighed, standing up and making his way to the spare bedroom where he instantly fell asleep. 

Seth waited until Dean had shut his bedroom door, before he started crying again. He felt so many emotions all at once, but he also felt numb. He had upset Dean. He had taken advantage of his friend when he was at his most vulnerable. And he felt guilty.

The guilt consumed his body as he sobbed, painfully. Why did he have to mess everything up? The sudden realization then hit him. Dean didn't love him. The one person he had loved with all of his heart for six years, no longer loved him back.

Seth had officially lost everything. 

__________

A few days had passed since the awkward encounter between Dean and Seth. Things weren't getting any better. Dean was still staying at his friends house, but he never saw Seth. Seth was always either at the gym or at the pub. He usually didn't come home until past midnight. Dean was worried about him.

Dean was currently sat in his favorite cafe with AJ, telling his friend about everything that had happened. AJ was shocked to hear the news. He didn't realize how much Seth loved Dean.

"So, do you think you'll ever date anyone again?" AJ asked, with an ounce of hope in his voice.

"Yeah, probably. I mean I know that not everyone is like Sami, since I've been with other people like you and Seth. But I still need some time before I'm comfortable to be in a relationship, y'know?"

"Of course, that's understandable. After everything you've been through, you need a break." AJ laughed. "But in all seriousness, I'm really proud of you. You got through that horrible relationship and you're working on yourself for once, which is really good. I know what it's like to be hurt mentally and physically by someone that you love and it's hard to recover."

"Thanks man, couldn't have done it without you, Roman and Seth though. If it weren't for you guys, I would still be with Sami." Dean sighed. "AJ, can I tell you about something?"

"Of course, man. Anything."

"I'm kind of scared to talk about it and you'll understand why after I tell you. I've been getting these letters from Sami."

"What?" AJ was shocked. "How? He's in prison."

"I know, but somehow he's been writing to me and he talks about stuff that I've done the day before I get the letter. He's watching me somehow. I don't know what to do." Dean's voice started to shake and he had a pleading look in his eyes.

"We'll get this sorted, okay? I'll call up the prison and make sure that Sami doesn't send any letters to you." AJ stated. "I want to make sure you're safe."

"Thanks AJ, but how does he know what I'm doing if he's in prison?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, man. Maybe he's got someone keeping an eye on you. I'll mention that to the police as well. Do you wanna go back to my hotel room and call the police now?" AJ asked.

"Yes please." Dean replied.

Once they got back to the hotel, Dean noticed that he had a text from an anonymous number.

'Hope you're enjoying your day with AJ. Me and little Sethie are having some fun of our own ;)'

Dean instantly panicked. What did that mean? Did Sami somehow have Seth with him?

AJ called the police as soon as he saw the text message. He told them about everything, especially the weird text message.

Dean tried to call Seth multiple times, but he got no reply. He called Roman to ask him if he had heard from Seth, but he said that he hadn't seen or talked to him for over a week.

The police arrived at AJ's hotel room and interviewed both men, before leaving. They told Dean that they would track the anonymous phone number and cut off all of Sami's communication rights. They also said that if Seth wasn't at home and didn't make an appearance within 48 hours, then they would send out a search party.

Everything was all happening too fast and Dean didn't know how to handle it.


	15. Hold me while my heart breaks - Part 15

The room was dark when Seth awoke. His head ached with a constant pulse of pain. From the moment he opened his eyes, everything went down hill.

He didn't remember what happened or where he was. He certainly wasn't home. The damp smell of the empty room he lay in was unfamiliar. He had definitely never been to this place before.

Seth tried to move his body to sit up, but it only caused more pain to shoot up his spine and tingle around his numb limbs. Any slight movement was uncomfortable. Seth just wanted to know where he was and how he got there.

A door to the left of Seth opened slightly, before being pushed violently forward. The sudden light blinded Seth, making his headache even worse.

"So." A familiar voice said. "You're awake." The person stated.

Seth tried to look up towards the man's voice, but a hand pushed his head back down to the ground. Seth groaned in pain.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" The man asked. Seth didn't reply.

The man grabbed Seth's face and pulled his body forcefully into a standing position. 

"I said did you have a nice sleep! You answer me when I ask you a question!"

Seth was finally able to see the man's face when he looked up and he was overly shocked to see who it was. Sami.

"H-how are you here?" Seth asked, worry clear on his face.

"You didn't answer m-"

"No, I had a terrible sleep, now why aren't you in prison?" The sudden confidence earned Seth a slap across the face.

"Don't speak to me like that." Sami snapped. "I ask the questions, not you. Now wait here while I get you something to drink. I gotta keep you hydrated so you don't die."

Sami exited the room and locked the door. Seth was panicking about what would happen. Was Dean okay? Why had Sami kidnapped Seth? And how did Sami get out of prison? So many questions circled around Seth's head, but he had no answers to any of them.

Sami was back with a glass of water within a minute. He looked jumpy and paranoid. He must have illegally escaped from prison. There was no way anyone would bail him out.

Sami forced Seth to drink the water, before leaving the room once again.

__________

AJ drove Dean to Seth's house. The two men had been calling all of their friends to check if they had seen Seth, but all of them replied with the same answer. No.

Dean couldn't stop panicking. His best friend had disappeared and was most likely in danger. The text from the anonymous number proved that.

Once the car was parked in the drive way, Dean ran out of the car and into the house. The door was wide open. The hallway was clean, which calmed Dean down a bit, but the kitchen was trashed.

There was glass smashed everywhere. The dining chairs had been thrown against the wall and were laying broken on the ground. There was a knife in the center of the room with a small amount of blood on the end. The rest of the blood was trailed across the floor in little droplets.

AJ chose this moment to enter the house. He was in pure shock, along with Dean.

Dean and AJ checked the rest of the house, but still couldn't find Seth. They called the police to tell them what they found and the police agreed to start the investigation early.

Search parties were sent out to all of the places that Seth usually went to. Seth's friends were all interviewed and after three days of intense searching, there was still no sign of Seth.

On the fourth day of searching Dean got a phone call from the prison that Sami was being held at. It was a phone call that Dean would never forget. Sami had escaped. And the prison had no CCTV footage of his escape, so they had no idea where he went or how he got away.

Dean spent the rest of the day crying in his hotel bed. He had never felt so upset over something. His abusive ex-fiance had escaped from prison and Seth was missing. It was obvious that Sami was the person who sent the text.

The police managed to track the phone that had sent the text, but they found it in a local cafe with no Sami in sight.

AJ arrived back at the hotel after work to find Dean crying. It broke his heart to see him so upset. He went over to the bed and lay next to his friend, holding him tight as he let out all of his emotions.

After a week of searching, the police still hadn't found any evidence of where Seth was. They had searched Sami's house and talked to a few of his 'old pals' but there was still no sign as to where the two men were.

Seth still had a small amount of hope that someone would find him eventually. Over the past week he had endured so much physical and emotional abuse. He didn't know how much more he could take, but he wanted to hold on for longer. There was still a small chance that someone would save him.


	16. Thinking of you, always - Part 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of this chapter may be a little emotional so prepare yourselves. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

It had been two weeks since Seth went missing. Dean was sat in the police station, waiting to talk to the leader of the search. Officer Malcolm had called Dean an hour earlier saying that his team had found something with Seth's DNA on it. As soon as Dean had finished the phone call, he left AJ with Kevin II and drove to the police station.

Waiting for Officer Malcolm to appear made Dean's stomach do flips. He just wanted to get the meeting over and done with. Eventually Officer Malcolm entered the room with the co- leader of the search, Officer Neon.

"Mr Ambrose, so good to see you again." Officer Malcolm shook Dean's hand.

"Good to see you too, Officer."

"Okay, so let's get straight to the point. Me and my team were searching through the woods about five minutes from Mr Rollins' house and we found a ripped up hoodie." Officer Malcolm stated, taking a black ADTR hoodie out of a crime scene bag.

Dean's eyes went wide in shock as he saw the hoodie. Seth had worn the item of clothing many times before. It was one of his favorite hoodies.

"It had Mr Rollins' DNA on it. We tested it at the lab. Do you recognize the hoodie, Mr Ambrose?"

"Y-yes, Seth wore it all the time." Dean felt sick as he looked at the shredded item of clothing. Seth loved that hoodie a lot and to see it so destroyed broke Dean's heart.

"Well, at least we can confirm it's his." Officer Malcolm smiled. "There was also a second DNA on the hoodie, we're trying to figure out whose it is."

"I've touched that hoodie before, do you think it's my DNA?" Dean asked.

"It depends how long ago you touched it."

"Um, probably five or six weeks ago, I'm not sure." Dean answered.

"There may be a weak trace of your DNA, but the trace that we found is very strong. It's around about 60% Seth's DNA and 40% other."

"Oh, okay." 

"That's all we really wanted to talk to you about, Mr Ambrose. Do you have any questions?" Officer Malcolm asked.

"Do you have any idea at all where Seth could be? And how long do you think it will be until you find him? Do you think he's alive?"

"Mr Ambrose, please calm down with the questions. I can only answer one at a time. I'm afraid we don't know where he is. We're checking every place that he has visited in the past two years, that's the best we can do. We can't tell you how long it will be before we find Mr Rollins, because we don't know. And once again we don't know whether he's alive or dead. If I were you, I would prepare for both scenarios."

"Okay, thank you for all your hard work so far. I really appreciate it." Dean sighed.

"No need to thank me. It's my job and I should probably get back to it, so I'll see you later Mr Ambrose." Officer Malcolm shook Dean's hand once again.

"See you later Officer. Call me if there's any news."

Dean returned to the hotel room that he was sharing with AJ. The police officers said he could stay at Seth's house, as they had already checked it out for prints, but Dean didn't want to be there. It reminded him of Seth too much.

Surprisingly, he was taking the situation well. He had his bad days where he broke down crying, thinking that Seth would never come back, but AJ was always there to reassure him that everything would be fine.

Dean wanted to stay strong so that he could help the police, as much as possible and get Seth back home where he would be safe.

Kevin II was asleep on the hotel bed when Dean got back. Dean wasn't sure if AJ had already fed him, so he gave him some doggy biscuits just in case.

AJ was at work. The police had joined him backstage in the arena last week to interview all the people that knew Seth, but no one had heard from him for a while.

Dean didn't even know if Seth had been kidnapped or not. He had guessed that Seth had been taken after the weird text message, but he didn't know for sure. Seth had been really distant during the few days before his disappearance. He could have just gone on holiday to get away from everyone, but Dean highly doubted that.

Dean just had to wait and see what happened. He just hoped that Seth was safe wherever he was.

__________

Seth was curled up on the floor with his legs up against his chest. Sami was shouting at him again.

"You're pathetic, you know that? You're a complete waste of everyone's time." Sami had been getting more aggressive over the past week.

The younger man did everything in his power to hurt Seth. Seth had tried to escape a few days before, but Sami caught him and beat him until he couldn't move. Sami hasn't left his side since.

Seth hadn't had anything to eat or drink for over a week. His body ached from all the beatings he received. Most of the time he passed out from pain and exhaustion. His body couldn't take much more.

"I don't know what Jon saw in you. You're disgusting." Sami spat. "Why am I even dealing with you right now? I could kill you this very minute and no one would know. No one would even care!"

That hurt. The idea that no one would care if Seth died had been drilled into the poor boy's head by Sami, to the point where Seth believed it.

Seth thought about Dean living a happy life without him. The thought made him tear up.

"Aww, is little Sethie going to cry?" Sami mocked, pouting at the weak man. The sentence alone caused Seth to let the tears flow down his face.

"Oh no, Sethie is crying. Such a shame that no one gives a damn!" 

Sami continued to emotionally abuse Seth for the rest of the night, until eventually Sami fell asleep. Seth thought that this would be the perfect time to escape, but he had been handcuffed to a pipe on the wall.

Seth decided to use this free time to sleep. He was exhausted. He just hoped that someone would help him soon. He was scared that eventually Sami would kill him, or worse, he would kill himself.


	17. It hurts to stay awake - Part 17

Roman managed to get the day off of work so that he could visit Dean and make sure he was okay. He hadn't spoken to him much during the commotion of Seth's disappearance. He wanted to know what was happening from Dean's point of view, not from the media's.

Roman met up with Dean in his hotel room. AJ had already left for work.

"So, how you holding up?" Roman asked.

"Good I guess, just a bit shook up still." Dean sighed, sitting down next to his friend.

"Have you heard anything new from the police?"

"They found his hoodie, y'know the ADTR one? It had his DNA on it and also someone else's, but they don't know whose it is. They're putting it under more tests."

"Oh well that's good. One step closer to finding him." Roman replied, not knowing how to feel about the current situation.

"I think Sami's got him." Dean sighed.

"What? Isn't he in jail?"

"No, he escaped. Didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't. Whoa, how did he get out?" Roman asked.

"I don't know. The prisons CCTV footage was cut off or something, so they didn't even know he was gone until a few days later."

"That's messed up."

"Yeah, but what can you do about it?" Dean sighed.

"It's gonna be alright Dean. They'll find him." Roman went silent for a minute, before voicing his thoughts. "Did Sami ever take you anywhere that may have been out of the way of everyone when you were together?"

Dean thought in silence for a while, wondering if Sami had ever taken him to a suspicious place. It took a while before he remembered the house in the woods.

"The house in the woods!" Dean shouted out, eyes wide, making Roman jump.

"What house?" Roman asked.

"When we first got together, he lived in this small house in the woods, just outside of Iowa. It was like a cabin. You couldn't see it unless you were right next to it, that's how hidden away it was. When we moved out, he never told me if he had sold it or not." 

"I think you should call the police and tell them." Roman suggested.

"Good idea."

Dean grabbed his mobile from out of his pocket and arranged an emergency meeting with the police at the station. Dean told them about the house and how to get there. The police decided that they would send out a search party the next morning.

AJ finished work and headed back to the hotel. Dean caught him up on everything that had happened that day. They were currently having dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

"How's your food?" AJ asked, trying to start a conversation. All Dean wanted to talk about was Seth, which was understandable, but AJ wanted to talk about other things.

"It's good, how about yours?"

"It's good too." Silence. "So, do you wanna watch a movie after dinner? I brought a few DVD's with me in my suitcase."

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna go to bed when we get back." Dean murmured, not taking much interest in AJ.

"Oh, okay." AJ really wanted to let out his feelings for Dean, but he didn't know if now would be the right time. "Dean, I-I um, I know that you're stressed and worried right now but I want you to know that I'm here for you."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks." Dean wasn't paying much attention, so AJ decided to say what he had to say, hoping that Dean wouldn't hear him. At least he could get it off of his chest.

"I like you Dean, a lot. And I know that before, we didn't really have a proper relationship, but I want to change that. I really like you and it hurts me knowing that you don't like me back."

That caught Dean's attention.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, shocked from AJ's previous words.

"I like you, more than a friend."

"Like a best friend?"

"No, um. I mean more than a best friend." AJ was scared that he would hurt Dean's feelings.

"AJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yeah." AJ sighed. "But I know it's too soon after Sami and you don't even love me back but I ju-"

"I do love you." Dean blurted out.

"W-what?" AJ was surprised.

"I do, but I'm not ready to be in a relationship."

"I know, I just wanted to tell you." AJ replied.

"Well, I'm glad you did. When I'm ready I'll let you know." Dean smiled.

"Thank you for not freaking out on me."

"Don't worry about it."

__________

"I'm telling you man, their coming." 

Seth didn't know whose voice it was, but somebody else was in the house talking to Sami.

"Someone told them about the house. This house. They'll be here by morning."

"Who told them?" Sami asked in a hushed, yet angry tone.

"I don't know, but I think you should get the hell out of here."

"What about Seth?"

"Just leave him. Make sure he's tied up or something. If you threaten to kill Jon, then Seth ain't gonna tell on you. You know how much he loves that dude."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for letting me know. I think I'm gonna drive down to Mexico and hide out there for a while." Sami replied to the man.

"Okay, well good luck. Keep in touch buddy." 

The man left, leaving Seth alone with Sami once again.

Sami entered the room where Seth lay, his body weak. He was still handcuffed to the pipe on the wall, but Sami wanted to make sure he didn't escape, so he taped Seth's legs together and put tape over his mouth, just to annoy him.

"Now you listen to me, the police are on their way and I'm leaving." Sami started, roughly holding Seth's face in his hands. "If you say anything to them about me, I will not hesitate to kill Jon right in front of your face. You stay here until the police find you, understood?"

Seth nodded.

"Good. Well, it was nice hanging out with you. I guess I'll see you later." Sami smiled, as he left the house. Seth could hear the distant noise of a car engine turning on and then the car drove away.

Sami was gone, but Seth was still stuck in the damp and damaged, old house. He didn't even know if the police were actually coming or not.


	18. I'd do anything to hold you in my arms - Part 18

Early Saturday morning, the search began. Dean had been up all night waiting for this moment. He couldn't bare to be away from Seth for any longer. He and the police were sat in an undercover police van.

There was a long journey ahead of them, so Dean had time to think. He thought about AJ and what he had said. He had told Dean that he loved him. It was a lot to take in, but it was something that put a smile on Dean's face. Someone loved him. Genuinely loved him.

Love was something he had forgotten about after spending a few months with Sami, but now that he was getting used to life without his ex-fiance, he was able to feel the emotion once again. His heart usually beat twice as fast when AJ was around and his hands got all clammy. 

Dean was in love.

Dean had been sitting in the back of a police van for over an hour. The small house in the woods was at least another thirty minutes away, which made Dean angry. He just wanted to get Seth to safety.

He felt that he was responsible for all of this. He shouldn't have broke up with Sami. He shouldn't have started dating him in the first place. It would have solved a lot of problems if he had just ignored the younger man. 

Trees swayed in the distance, indicating that the forest was nearby. The police officers had told Dean that he had to stay in the van whilst they found Seth. They would have to venture far into the woods in order to get to the house and they couldn't risk Dean getting upset or hurt.

It was made very clear to Dean that he shouldn't get his hopes up. There was a good chance that they had found Seth, but they couldn't be sure. This whole thing could just be a waste of time.

As they reached the outskirts of the woods, Dean's mood changed. He was now on edge and fearful of what might happen. He got out the back of the van and made his way to the passenger's seat. 

He could see that there were two police cars, behind the van for backup, and a few ambulances. No one knew what state Seth would be in. 

Dean text AJ to let him know that they were at the woods. AJ had replied with care and compassion towards both Dean and Seth.

__________

The police made their way through the gloomy, dry, path of leaves. The woods looked like it had been abandoned by society many years ago. 

According to the tracker, they were heading in the right direction.

After an hour of searching, they came across a small, wooden house. It looked like it was about to collapse from how old and dry it was.

The door was already open, so the police entered with their guns held out in front of them, not knowing what to expect. The officers split into groups of two. Each group searched a room.

It was easy to find Seth. He was battered and bruised, weakly lying on the floor of one of the bedrooms. 

"Seth?" One of the officers asked as he gently lowered himself to the ground to help the shaking boy. "Seth, can you hear me?" The officer asked as he took the tape away from Seth's mouth.

Seth slowly nodded.

"My name is Officer Carl, and this." Officer Carl said pointing to the other police official in the room. "Is Officer Tess. We're here to help you, okay?"

Seth nodded once again.

Officer Carl untied the duct tape from Seth's legs and used bolt cutters to cut the handcuffs from off of the pipe. 

The room was flooded with paramedics and police officers, helping out Seth. The weak man still hadn't spoke a word.

Seth was secured with a neck brace and an oxygen mask. He was carted out of the house on a stretcher.

The bright light burned his eyes. He hadn't seen any daylight for weeks. Luckily one of the police officers put his jacket over Seth's face to shield his eyes. Seth was very grateful. The off-road ambulance arrived outside the house within a few minutes and Seth was rushed over to the main road, where he was transferred into a different ambulance.

Dean only caught a quick glimpse of Seth. He didn't know what to think. Why did he have something covering his face? Was he dead?

The overwhelming thoughts caused Dean to start crying. This was all his fault. Once the ambulance left the scene the police officers joined Dean in the van.

"Mr Ambrose, you can probably tell that we found Seth." Officer Carl sighed in triumph.

"I-Is he dead?" Dean asked, frightened for the answer.

"No, he is not dead. However, he's not in the best condition at the moment."

"Then why did he have that thing on his face?"

"The daylight was hurting his eyes" Officer Carl smiled.

"O-okay. Did- w-was Sami there?" Dean asked.

"No, we didn't see him or anyone. Seth was left alone, handcuffed to a pipe, with duct tape around his feet and on his mouth."

"So, do you think he'll be okay?"

"He should make a speedy recovery physically, but mentally and emotionally I can't be sure. He was responsive to us though, which is a good sign. Whenever I asked him a question he would nod his head, yes."

"Okay." Dean sighed. "Thank you for saving him."

"Not a problem. That's our job and you were a great help. We never would have found this house if it wasn't for you." 

"Can I see him at the hospital?" Dean asked.

"Of course. We need to go there as well and talk to the doctors and nurses, so we'll drive you straight there." Officer Carl smiled.

"Thank you." Dean smiled back and for the first time that day, he felt relaxed.

__________

Once Dean got to the hospital, he was told to sit in the waiting room as Seth was undergoing tests and wasn't allowed visitors. Dean used this time to call AJ.

"Hello?" AJ greeted.

"Hey, it's me." Dean replied.

"Hey, how are you? Did you find him? What happened?" AJ burst out, curious to know the answers.

"I'm good and yeah we found him. I'm at the hospital, because he's getting some tests done."

"Oh thank god he's safe now. I've been worried sick all day. I was scared that you wouldn't find him."

"Me too." Dean sighed. "Could you tell Roman that Seth's safe, please?"

"Of course I will." AJ replied. "And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm so proud of you. You've been through a lot these past few weeks, but you stayed strong and you got Seth away from danger." AJ smiled through the phone.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you though." Dean didn't know if he should tell AJ how he felt. "AJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking about what you said and, I think I love you too." Silence. AJ was shocked.

"R-really?" AJ questioned.

"Yes, really." Dean laughed.

"Well, that's great. I love you so much I can't even describe how happy I am right now." AJ was laughing from how shocked he was.

"I'm glad that I made you happy. Maybe we could go out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"I would love to."

"Okay, see you later."

"Bye."

The call ended. Dean felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He just hoped that Seth wouldn't get mad at him.


	19. The harder things become, the harder you push away - Part 19

Seth lay awake on the makeshift hospital bed, surrounded by the sterile smell that lingered in the stuffy air. The doctors had been in and out of his room all afternoon, making sure he was alright and checking his vitals.

Seth wasn't in bad shape. He was hurt and undernourished, but he wasn't going to die. The doctors made him eat some crackers every two hours to help his stomach get used to eating again. They said that they would start him on full meals the next day.

Dean was still waiting to find out some news. He had been fidgeting all day, wanting to see Seth and make sure that he was okay. Towards the evening, one of Seth's doctors invited Dean into Seth's room. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Dean's shoulders. He was finally allowed to see his friend for the first time in weeks.

When Dean entered the room, he was upset by the sight of Seth. He had bruises all over the parts of his body that were on show and he had lost a lot of weight. He looked very weak.

"Hey." Dean whispered as he looked at Seth's small frame. The doctor left the room.

"Hey." Seth replied, bluntly.

"I-I'm so sorry." Dean started to cry. Everything was just too overwhelming for him. He couldn't deal with the guilt.

"Don't cry. You've got nothing to be sorry for." Seth replied.

"It's all my fault. I should have been with you to have kept you safe. He threatened me, saying he would kill you and I didn't do anything about it. I thought you were dead." Dean sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry. If it wasn't for me, none of this would have ever happened."

"Who threatened you?" Seth asked, confused. Dean hadn't told him about the letters.

"Sami." Dean whispered causing Seth to gasp in shock.

"He was sending you letters and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you. I was gonna sort it out, I promise. AJ was gonna take me to the police station, but that's when we found out that you had gone missing." Dean rushed out.

"You told AJ, but you didn't tell me?" Seth had a disgusted look on his face.

"I was going to tell you first, but then you stopped talking to me because of what happened." 

"Just because I was in a strop didn't mean you had to hide things from me." This was going badly.

"I never saw you! How did you expect me to talk to you if you were never there?" Dean shouted. Seth looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm gonna go. You should probably rest." Dean sighed.

"Yeah." Seth mumbled, looking distraught.

"Um, Roman's gonna come visit you tomorrow. He's been worried sick about you, we all have." Dean left quite quickly. He needed some air.

Once he exited the hospital, he called AJ to ask if he could pick him up. It was getting late, AJ had finished work and Dean had no other form of transport.

AJ arrived and Dean got in the car, without speaking a word. AJ could sense the tension in Dean's posture and decided not to start a conversation. He didn't want to upset the younger man any further. 

The two men arrived at the hotel they were staying at and headed straight to bed. As AJ was about to get into his bed, Dean spoke.

"AJ?"

"Yeah?"

"C-can you sleep in my bed tonight?" Dean asked, wanting comfort.

"Sure, as long as you're okay with it." AJ didn't want to scare Dean, by being too close. Especially when he was so vulnerable.

"I just really want a hug right now." Dean's voice sounded weak, he was desperate for the warmth of another.

AJ got into the bed and lay next to Dean. He waited for Dean to make the first move, as he didn't want him to think he was taking advantage of him. He knew that Dean was overwhelmed by everything that had happened with Sami and he didn't want to trigger any bad memories.

Dean wrapped his arms around AJ's waist and buried his head into the older man's chest, snuggling tightly against him. AJ wrapped one hand around Dean's waist and placed the other on his head to stroke his hair soothingly.

The two men fell asleep easily within each other's arms.

__________

The next day, Roman arrived at the hospital to visit Seth. He had brought Kevin II along with him in hopes to cheer up his friend.

"Knock knock." Roman said as he entered the room, causing Seth to smile.

"Hey." Seth greeted.

"Hey man, I brought someone with me to cheer you up." Roman replied, handing Seth his precious dog.

"Hello Kevin." Seth cooed as he petted the tiny dog. "I've missed you."

"So, how are you?" Roman asked.

"I'm doing good I guess." Seth sighed. "Could be doing better."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised after everything that's happened. I'm just glad you're alive and not too beat up." Roman replied.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Roman." Seth laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on getting rid of you." Roman laughed. "So, have you heard from Dean?" Seth's happy facial expression instantly dropped.

"Yeah, we didn't exactly have a civil conversation." Seth sighed.

"What do you mean?" Roman was confused.

"He talked about these letters that he kept getting and it made me mad, cause they were from Sami. He didn't tell me about them, but he told AJ which I wasn't too happy about. Then we were talking about stuff that happened before all of this and everything went downhill." 

"Oh, that sucks." 

"Yeah." Seth didn't want to think about it, but he had to ask Roman a question. "Are Dean and AJ dating?"

"Um, I don't know to be honest with you." Roman replied, knowing that Seth was upset about the two men possibly being together. "They've been getting a lot closer and they share a hotel room all the time. AJ's always talking about Dean at work, but I don't know if they're going out." Seth could tell that Roman was telling the truth.

"Thanks." Seth smiled, trying to be nice.

The two men talked for another half hour, before Roman and Kevin II left.

__________

The night came fast and AJ was sat on the hotel bed, waiting for Dean to finish getting ready. Tonight was their date night.

AJ planned on taking Dean to a nice restaurant down the street. He had already made reservations for a table. Dean entered the room, looking stunning as always, and the two men made their way to AJ's car.

It was a smooth ride filled with questions from Dean. He wanted to know where they were going, but AJ refused to tell him until they got there. It wasn't a secret, AJ just wanted to wind Dean up.

The pair made their way into the restaurant and sat down at their table. It was hidden away at the back where nobody could see them, which Dean liked. They ordered their meals and got into a few good conversations.

"So, how's work been?" Dean asked.

"It's been good. They've put me in a new feud against John Cena, which I'm excited about."

"That's cool. I'm guessing Roman didn't let you win the belt?"

"No, he didn't." AJ laughed. "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come to one of the shows this week. Maybe SmackDown? Everyone's missing you, especially Owens and also you can meet Luke and Karl."

"Yeah, that sounds cool. I need to meet your gang."

"They are not my gang." AJ giggled. "They're just my friends."

"Oh, they're 'just friends' are they?" Dean smirked, resting his chin on his hands.

"Shut up." AJ laughed. "Not like that."

"Do you love them?" Dean was trying to get AJ to once again say 'I love you.'

"I love them like brothers, but not like lovers. You know there's only one person that I love like that."

"Oh yeah, and who's that?"

"You, dumbass." AJ laughed.

"I thought so." Dean smirked once again. "I love you too." Dean held AJ's hand in his own.

"So, I've been thinking about some things, y'know like relationships and stuff and I think I'm ready." Dean smiled, looking into AJ's eyes.

"Do you mean us?" AJ asked, shocked at how quickly things were happening. He wasn't expecting Dean to talk about relationships so soon.

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay. Well then, Dean Ambrose, do you wanna be my boyfriend?" AJ asked, clearly nervous.

"It would be my honour." Dean replied.

The rest of the night went smoothly. The couple had dessert and then headed back to their hotel room, where they fell asleep in each other's arms.


	20. Learning to live again - Part 20

Seth was still in the hospital, but was told by the doctors that he would be released in the afternoon. Before he could leave, he had to answer some questions from the police officers who were running his disappearance case.

The two police officers who were sat next to his bed weren't very intimidating, but Seth knew that they would be annoyed if he didn't answer their questions.

"Mr Rollins, could you tell us what you remember from the night you were taken?" Officer Malcolm asked.

"Um, I had just got home from the bar. Someone was in my house. At first I thought it was Dean, but obviously it wasn't." Seth sighed. "The man grabbed me and punched me a few times, before dragging me out of my house and into the woods behind my garden, where his car was."

"Did you try to escape once you were outside of your house?"

"Yeah, he was pulling on my jacket, so I took it off and ran but he caught up with me and that's all I remember from that night." Seth felt a bit shaken up. He didn't want to relive that memory.

"We think we found your jacket during our search, it had your DNA on it." Officer Malcolm said, as the other officer wrote down some notes.

"Oh cool." Seth replied, not knowing how to continue on the conversation.

"Mr Ambrose helped us find you. He had a big impact on the search, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have found you. He was the one that told us about the house in the woods."

Seth frowned at the mention of Dean. He didn't care for the older man anymore.

"The house belonged to a man called Sami Callihan. Was that the man who took you?" Officer Malcolm asked.

Seth wasn't sure whether to answer the question or not. He remembered the threat that Sami had told him. He knew what the man was capable of and he didn't want Dean dead, but at the moment he didn't care about anyone but himself and Kevin II.

"Yes, it was." Seth murmured.

"We thought so. Thank you for your time Mr Rollins, we wish you a speedy recovery and we will keep in touch throughout this investigation. We have a good team so, hopefully Sami will be caught and thrown in jail as quickly as possible."

"Thank you for helping me." Seth smiled.

"No problem, it's our job." And with that, both officers left Seth.

A few hours later, Seth was released from the hospital with a prescription for painkillers. He made his way to Roman's hotel room to collect Kevin II and then he headed home.

Chills ran up his spine as he walked through the front door. Memories of that horrible night haunted him and he was constantly paranoid that Sami would be there to take him again.

Seth made sure to lock all of the windows and doors. He closed the curtains and checked the house, thoroughly to make sure no one was there. After searching every room, Seth snuggled up with Kevin II, on the sofa and turned on the TV. 

He decided to watch RAW. Seeing people that he knew on the TV, comforted him. Within thirty minutes the paranoia had left.

__________ 

Dean and AJ arrived at the arena for the SmackDown taping, in the early afternoon of Tuesday. Dean had briefly met Luke and Karl before and they got along well, but now he was nervous to see them again. 

AJ wanted to tell the two men about his and Dean's relationship, since they were really close. Almost like brothers. Dean didn't mind this, but he was worried about the outcome. He didn't think that Luke and Karl would be happy about their relationship, as Dean didn't see himself as a likable person.

AJ reassured his lover that everything would be fine. He knew that his friends would approve of his relationship.

The locker room was empty when the two men arrived, so AJ decided to get changed into his ring gear before heading to catering with Dean.

All of the wrestlers were in catering, including Roman, Luke and Karl. The nerves really started to kick in once Dean saw the three men. AJ guided Dean over to the table that his friends were sitting at. Roman saw Dean and decided to come and sit with him.

"Hey man, what's up?" Roman asked.

"Not much, what about you?" Dean replied.

"Just been working." Roman smiled.

"So um, me and Dean have something we wanna tell you guys." AJ announced to the group, catching his friends attention.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"Well, we've kind of been getting really close lately, but the other night we made it official. We're dating." AJ replied.

"That's great man, congrats to both of you." Luke smiled, giving AJ a pat on the back.

"Yeah he's right." Karl commented. "I'm glad you two find happiness in each other."

"Thanks guys." AJ smiled. 

Dean felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. AJ's friends were okay with them dating, which made Dean feel extremely happy. He was now nervous about what Roman would say. He turned his head to look at the Samoan, only to find a big smirk on his face.

"I knew there was something going on between you two, Jey owes me ten bucks." Roman laughed.

"Wait, you were betting on us?" Dean was shocked, but also laughing.

"Hell yeah! It was obvious that you guys were head over heels for each other, but Jey didn't believe me. It was an easy way to make cash if you ask me."

"Well, I'm glad our relationship got you ten bucks." AJ giggled.

"So am I, but seriously, I'm glad you two are together. It's about time you started dating, I've been waiting for months. At one point I thought I'd have to force you to confess your love for each other." Roman smiled.

The rest of the conversation was entertaining for Dean, he didn't know he could have so much fun just by talking to people.

Dean was left alone in the gorilla, watching his friend's matches on the monitor. The night had been good so far, but it was about to go downhill.


	21. Forgiveness is the most unnatural of human emotions - Part 21

Dean watched Roman's match from the gorilla, with AJ who had just returned from the showers after his match. Luke and Karl were still in the locker room, leaving the two lovebirds alone. 

The match had been going well and Roman was about to beat Heath Slater, a jobber, when someone jumped over the barricade and ran into the ring, attacking Roman. The match was instantly stopped by the officials, as security did their best to stop the man from beating up Roman.

Dean was shocked to see a fan so angry, but then he realized who the attacker was. Sami.

The security guards managed to get Sami off of Roman and pinned him down to the mat, where they handcuffed him. 

The crowd didn't know what to do. They couldn't tell if the incident was scripted or not. Most of them didn't know who Sami was, but the ones who did were scared to be in the same room as him after what he did to Dean and Seth.

AJ was also shocked. He didn't think Sami would have the guts to show up at such a big show like this and cowardly attack Roman from behind. AJ held Dean as he cried into his side. He felt guilty for Roman getting hurt.

Sami was rushed to the police station and instantly locked away for everything that he had done. 

When Roman got backstage the first thing he did was check on Dean.

"Hey man, you okay? Did he go near you at any point today?" Roman asked the sobbing man. Dean shook his head, no.

"Why are you asking me? You're the one that got hurt." Dean replied, the guilt was clear in his voice. It broke AJ's heart to see him like this, so he held him tighter with more love.

"Nah, he didn't hurt me. Just a few punches, nothing I can't handle." Roman smiled. "Typical Ambrose, worrying about others when he should be worrying about himself. Take care of him." Roman said to AJ, giving him a pat on the back.

"I will." AJ replied, guiding Dean to the locker room, away from the action.

By the time they had reached the locker room, Dean had calmed down and stopped crying. AJ just held Dean in his arms, whilst he explained to Luke and Karl what had just happened.

The couple eventually made their way back to their hotel room. Dean fell asleep in the car, so AJ carried him up to bed.

Once Dean was safely tucked into bed, AJ grabbed his phone and dialed in Seth's number. SmackDown wasn't live tonight, so the incident with Sami would be edited out of the show, but there were probably videos of what happened all over the internet.

AJ wanted to make sure that Seth was okay.

"Hello?" Seth greeted, sounding un-entertained by the late phone call.

"Hey Seth, it's me, AJ." 

"What do you want?" Seth snapped. He was not in the mood to talk to the person who stole his only love.

"Um, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I don't know if you heard what happened today at the SmackDown taping?" AJ could tell that Seth didn't like him and he felt bad for bothering him at such a late hour.

"I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care." Seth grumbled back. "Everything you say is a load of bullshit."

"Seth, calm down."

"No, I will not calm down. You ruined my life! I could've had Dean all to myself if it wasn't for you. First you have an affair with him whilst we're dating and then, just as I'm about to ask him out, you come in and take him away." Seth shouted.

"I don't know what you mean by the second part. From what Dean's told me, it didn't seem like you were gonna ask him out." AJ confidently replied.

"Shut your damn mouth. You've ruined everything! You're a horrible person and you deserve nothing but bad things. I hope Dean realizes how useless you are and how fat you are, and kicks you to the trash. Dean never liked fat people." Seth lied. He felt a small bit of regret from his words, but he wanted to hurt AJ for what he had done.

"Seth, come on man, you're tired. You've had a few rough weeks. You don't mean that." AJ felt sick to his stomach. Was he really fat?

"Of course I mean that. You should be thanking me for telling you the truth. If you don't lose a few pounds soon, heck maybe even a few stone, then Dean will ditch you and come running back to me." Seth threatened. He felt so powerful.

"Um, yeah thanks I guess. I'm glad you're feeling better." 

AJ hung up before Seth could say anymore. He looked over at Dean who was still sleeping, then he looked at himself in the mirror. Maybe he had put on some weight recently. He hadn't really been keeping track of his diet. He was so worried about Dean that he forgot about his own health.

AJ just hoped that he could lose weight before Dean realized how big he had gotten. He had fought so hard to share his love for Dean, he wasn't about to let his relationship end.

__________

Seth didn't mean to say those things to AJ. The moment the other man hung up, he felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him.

How could he have been so cruel? This wasn't like him. He was usually the one who made people happy. He made people feel good about themselves, he didn't want anybody to hate themselves. Not even Sami. Well, maybe Sami.

Seth couldn't believe that those disgusting, hateful words had come out of his mouth. What was wrong with him? Why did he hurt AJ like that. AJ was innocent. He had never done anything bad to Seth, apart from having an affair with Dean, but that was in the past. Seth had gotten over that. Or had he?

So many questions circled Seth's mind. He could feel a headache brewing, he probably deserved the pain after what he had said.

Maybe he had spent too much time with Sami. After a few days he would be back to his normal self and he could apologize to AJ for what he said. Hopefully AJ would forgive him, but if he didn't then Seth wouldn't mind.

Seth thought long and hard about his words. Maybe it was jealousy. Roman had told him that AJ and Dean were officially dating, which angered Seth. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Dean, but he had missed his chance.

Love does some crazy things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank the person who gave me the idea of Sami appearing in-ring. They don't have an account, but they know who they are :) Also the things I wrote about AJ (What Seth said) are not true! AJ is not fat! This is 100% fake! I thought I would just make that clear as they were some very hateful words. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


	22. True love is just around the corner - Part 22

AJ had stayed awake all night, looking at himself in the mirror, pointing out every flaw he had. By the time morning came, he was exhausted. 

Dean was still fast asleep when AJ left the hotel. He wanted to get a full workout in before going to the gym for a second time in the afternoon, with Roman. The extra exercise would do him good.

As he lifted a few weights, he wondered if Seth's words were true. Would Dean really leave him, after everything they had been through, just because he was fat? It didn't sound like something Dean would do, but AJ didn't know what to believe anymore.

There was always a possibility that Seth was just jealous. It was obvious that the younger man was still in love with Dean.

AJ didn't want to risk his chances though. He had fought so hard to be with Dean and he didn't want to lose him. A few extra workout sessions should help him lose a few pounds. It was nothing too extreme, but at least it was something.

After his workout, AJ made his way back to his hotel room. Dean had woken up and was making some coffee.

"Morning beautiful, do you want some coffee?" Dean smiled, giving AJ a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning babe. I think I'll pass on the coffee. I'm on a diet."

"What kind of diet is that?" Dean laughed. "You don't need to go on a diet anyway. You're perfect just the way you are."

"I just feel like I need to lose a few pounds. I've been eating a lot of junk food lately and I need to start eating healthy again." AJ reassured his lover.

"Fair enough. Don't lose too much weight though. I like a bit of chub." Dean smirked.

"Don't worry about me." AJ smiled, giving Dean a kiss.

"I'm gonna head out for a bit, I was thinking maybe we could buy a house or an apartment to live in?" Dean said, trying to persuade AJ.

"Yeah that would be cool. We can start looking for a place sometime this week. Where are you going?" 

"I'm just gonna grab some breakfast with Roman, you wanna come?" Dean asked.

"Nah, I'm probably just gonna have a smoothie."

"Oh yeah, you're on a diet." Dean laughed. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, I love you." The two men shared another kiss.

"I love you too." 

Once Dean had left, AJ felt a sense of loneliness. Dean always cheered him up and made him happy. He was so scared that he would lose his loved one.

AJ didn't have a smoothie, instead he had a protein shake. He spent the next hour watching TV and thinking of ways to lose weight quickly, without doing anything too extreme. He didn't want to vomit his food up. That would be gross.

__________

Roman had finished eating breakfast with Dean. The younger man had already left the cafe, claiming that he wanted to check on AJ to see if he was okay. Apparently he wasn't acting like his usual self.

Roman was just finishing his coffee, when a lady walked up to his table.

"Hi, is it okay if I sit here?" The lady asked. Roman looked around the cafe to see that there were plenty of free seats left.

"Uh, yeah of course you can."

"Thank you." The lady smiled. "My name's Galina."

"That's such a beautiful name. I'm Roman."

"Thank you, It's nice to meet you Roman." 

There was a short silence, before Roman worked up the courage to speak to Galina again.

"So, how's your day been?"

"Oh, It's been good. I just dropped my son off at nursery and then I made my way here." Galina replied.

"What's your son's name?"

"Jake. He's three years old."

"Cool, I've always wanted kids, but I've just never been with anyone long enough to have any." Roman smiled. He was taking a liking to the girl.

"Aww, I'm sure you'll find someone eventually. Parenthood is great so you have a lot to look forward to." 

"So, do you have a boyfriend or a husband?" Roman asked, he didn't want to get close to Galina only to find that she was already dating someone.

"Oh, no I don't. I broke up with Jake's dad two years ago. Haven't seen him since, but It's probably for the best, he wasn't a very good father."

"That's a shame. I'm sure you'll find someone who can take up the father role and love Jake as their own." 

"Yeah, hopefully. He deserves nothing but the best." Galina replied. "So tell me a bit more about yourself. Where do you work?" This was the question that Roman always dreaded.

"Well, I'm actually a wrestler. I work for the company WWE, so I'm always on the move to different places."

"That's so cool. I used to watch wrestling when I was younger, but once I started college I stopped watching it." Galina smiled.

"Maybe we could watch it together sometime?" Roman asked, knowing it would be risky.

"I would love that. How does tomorrow night sound for you?"

"It's a date!" Roman laughed, before realizing what he said. "Well, it's not a date but-"

"Roman, relax. It's a date." Galina laughed.

After the two exchanged phone numbers, Roman left to meet AJ at the gym. He spent his entire workout session thinking of Galina. He definitely had a crush on her.


	23. Forget about the fallen - Part 23

The next night, Roman called Galina and invited her round to his hotel room. He planned on showing her WrestleMania 32 to help catch her up on what had happened in the wrestling world, since she stopped watching WWE.

Galina arrived within the next thirty minutes, but she was not alone. In her arms she held a young boy, who looked similar to her.

"Hey Roman, I couldn't find anyone to look after Jake, so I had to bring him with me. I hope you don't mind." Galina said, as she entered the hotel room.

"No, that's fine." Roman smiled. "Hey little man, I'm Roman."

"Hi." Jake said, shyly.

"Do you wanna watch some wrestling?" Roman asked Jake. Jake nodded his head with a smile. "Alrighty, let's go sit on the bed."

Everyone got comfy on the hotel bed and started watching WrestleMania 32. Roman answered all of Galina's questions about who was who and why were they fighting each other. After the first hour past, Jake became less shy.

The show had finished and Jake had fallen asleep. 

"I think he enjoyed it." Roman laughed as he looked at the sleeping boy.

"Yeah, he did. I've never seen him so excited over something before."

"Maybe he's found his true calling. In a few years he'll be pinning me for the title." The latter comment made Galina laugh.

"Thank you for tonight, I really enjoyed it." Galina smiled.

"Well, thank you for coming. I enjoyed myself too. We should meet up again. Maybe we could go out for dinner on the weekend?" Roman asked, hoping he wasn't progressing their 'relationship' too fast.

"I would love to go out for dinner. Are you free on Saturday night? There's this place near my house that serves the best steaks in town." Galina replied, with a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm free on Saturday night. And we'll see if you're right about the steaks, I'm a steak expert." Roman chuckled.

"I bet you $10 that I'm right about the steak being the best in town." Galina smirked.

"You're on, babe." Roman felt awkward for calling Galina 'babe' but she didn't seem to mind. She just laughed at the fact they made a bet on steak.

"Anyway, I should probably get going. I need to get Jake to his bed and then I need to go to bed." Galina smiled.

"Okay, do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. You should head to be too, It's late." Galina giggled.

"Yes ma'am" Roman saluted, causing both adults to laugh.

"I'll see you on Saturday." 

"Yeah, see you." Roman smiled, waving goodbye to Galina as she left his hotel room.

Once she was gone, Roman did as Galina said and went to bed, but he couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about how much he had enjoyed the night. He felt like he had his own little family, even though he wasn't dating Galina. He just felt such a big connection towards her.

__________

Dean was exhausted to say the least. It was now Friday, and Dean had spent the past two days worrying about AJ. He was acting weird all the time and he was distancing himself from Dean.

AJ had already left the hotel to go to the gym, he didn't even wake Dean up to say goodbye. Butterflies flew around Dean's stomach as he sighed, waiting for AJ to get back. He wanted to know what was going on. He didn't want to sit in the dark for any longer.

When AJ returned back to the hotel, he got straight into the shower, ignoring Dean who was sat on the bed. AJ really didn't want Dean to see him. He hadn't lost much weight and he was ashamed of himself. He didn't realize it would be this hard.

An hour had passed and AJ was still in the bathroom. Dean knocked on the bathroom door, to see if his lover was okay.

"AJ, you alright in there babe?" Dean asked, concern clear in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." AJ replied. The time ticked by and after another twenty minutes, AJ was still in the bathroom.

"AJ, I swear to god if you don't come out of there right now, I'll kick the door down." Dean said sternly, as his frustration rose.

The bathroom door opened and AJ exited the small room. He walked straight past Dean, who was stood in shock at his lover's new attitude, and sat on the hotel bed. Dean sat next to him, sighing.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Dean asked, rubbing AJ's back with his hand.

"Nothing's wrong. I don't know what you're talking about." AJ replied, refusing to look at Dean.

"Don't pretend that nothing's wrong. I know you like the back of my hand. You haven't been yourself lately and it's worrying me." Dean soothed.

"I'm fine, I've just had a bad day." AJ sighed.

"Why were you in the bathroom for so long?" Dean asked.

"I just needed some time to myself. I didn't want to be near anyone."

"Please, never hide your problems from me. I'm always here to talk." Dean smiled. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks for your concern though, I love you." AJ replied.

"I love you too, babe. Have you had any breakfast yet?"

"Yeah, I grabbed something from the cafe down the road earlier." AJ lied.

"Okay, I guess I'll be eating alone." Dean laughed. "Do you wanna watch a movie or something, before you go to work?"

"Of course, what movie do you wanna watch?" 

"I don't mind. I have a load in my bag, so you can pick one from there. I'm gonna call room service and get some breakfast. Are you sure you don't want anything?" Dean asked.

"I'm sure." AJ replied, rummaging through Dean's bag to find a movie.

"Okay." Dean said. 

Dean knew that AJ wasn't telling him everything. There was definitely something bothering AJ, but Dean didn't want to pressure his lover into telling him what was wrong.

Later that day, Roman visited Dean and AJ's hotel room to tell them about his date. He told them about Galina and her son, Jake and he talked about how much he really likes Galina. Dean was shocked to actually see Roman 'in love.' The Samoan had never expressed feelings like that for someone before. Dean was just happy to see his friend so happy.

__________

Seth was fed up. He had been lying on his couch for the past five days, drinking away his sorrows and moping about how much he hated life.

He really missed Dean and it annoyed him that his friend hadn't come to visit him to see if he was okay. They hadn't left off on the best note, but surely that couldn't ruin their friendship.

Seth had seen the video of Sami attacking Roman on Smackdown, and he now understood why AJ had called him. He felt bad for what he said to AJ, but he was too drunk to function and apologize. 

He liked being drunk. It made him feel numb and it got rid of the paranoia. Just over a week ago, Seth was being beaten and starved by Sami, but apparently that wasn't a big deal anymore. None of his friends had come to see him. No one even called or texted him.

So, Seth was left to find his own form of comfort. Alcohol. It wasn't something he planned on doing, but in all honesty he no longer cared about keeping himself organized. It just led to bad things.

He snuggled up to Kevin II and fell into a much needed, deep sleep. He hoped that when he awoke the next morning, everything would have just been a dream, but the dream was sadly reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist with Seth, kinda! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	24. My only sunshine - Part 24

AJ was still acting strange and it was starting to annoy Dean. He just wanted to know what was wrong with his lover, so that he could help him. It wasn't fair that he felt the need to hide his problems.

The older man was still asleep when Dean awoke. Dean took this opportunity to plan out what he would say to AJ, once he woke up. 

He didn't know how to address the situation. He didn't even know what was bothering AJ, so how was he supposed to do anything about it? AJ needed to tell Dean what was wrong, it was the only way for him to get better, in Dean's opinion.

AJ started to stir awake. He was about to fall back to sleep until Dean called out his name.

"AJ." 

"Ahm?" AJ mumbled back, still sleepy.

"Wake up buddy, we need to talk." Dean said sternly. This mystery was going to end.

"Alright, I'm awake." AJ rubbed his eyes and sat up in the bed. Dean was standing next to the bed with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's wrong with you? And don't tell me you're fine or that you've had a bad day. No more messing around. I want answers." Dean sounded deadly serious, which worried AJ. How was he supposed to tell Dean about his problem?

"Look." AJ sighed, sitting up some more and running a hand through his hair. "You're probably gonna laugh at me, but-"

"I won't laugh." Dean murmured. 

"I just, um, someone said something to me and it really upset me." AJ rushed out, sighing once again.

"What did they say?" Dean asked, concerned.

"I mean, it was nothing bad. I just overreacted and-"

"AJ." Dean said, slightly raising his voice to get his lover's attention.

"Yes?"

"What did they say?"

"They just said that you would break up with me because I'm fat." AJ replied, not looking at Dean.

Dean's eyes went wide. He didn't know if he should be upset or angry. How could anyone say something so hurtful and untrue?

"Okay, for one, you're not fat at all and even if you were I wouldn't break up with you. And two, who the hell told you that?" Dean asked with a scowl on his face.

"It doesn't matter." AJ grumbled.

"If someone is telling my hot ass boyfriend that they're fat, then it kind of matters. Who said that to you AJ?"

"You won't believe me." AJ could feel tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Of course I will." Dean sighed, getting onto the bed and putting an arm around AJ's shoulders. 

"Okay, I'll tell you but you have to promise not to be mad."

"I promise." Dean replied.

"It was Seth."

Dean clenched his fists and felt the fire burn inside him. How could Seth be so cruel. After everything AJ had done for him, that was how he repaid him? Dean wished that he hadn't have promised to not get mad, because he could really do with punching Seth in the face right now.

"Listen." Dean started, trying to calm himself down. "You're not fat and I'm not going to break up with you, so don't worry about that. And as for Seth, he's just jealous that we're in a relationship and he's not. Don't listen to him, okay? He's obviously trying to mess with your head."

"Okay, thanks." AJ replied. "I was just scared that he was right, because he's your ex and he knows what you like more than I do."

"He does know what I like, but he lied about what he told you. I've had problems with my weight in the past and I know what it feels like to think that everyone is staring at you and judging you. It's not nice and I don't want you to ever go through that. You mean everything to me. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you." A single tear fell down Dean's cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, Dean. I can promise you that as long as you promise it too." AJ said, caressing Dean's cheek.

"Oh, I promise." Dean smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

__________

Later on in the afternoon, once AJ had gone to work, Dean decided to pay Seth a little visit. He wanted to tell him what was on his mind and make sure that he never said anything mean to AJ, ever again.

When he got there all of the lights were off and the curtains were closed. Dean knocked on the door, but got no answer. He tried to open the door only to find that it was locked, so he went around to the back of the house to see if the back door was open.

The back door was locked, but Dean could see into the living room, since the door was made of glass. What he saw shocked him. Seth was passed out on the sofa surrounded by bottles of alcohol. Dean started to panic, not knowing what to do.

Luckily, one of the windows in the kitchen was open, so Dean climbed through it and ran over to Seth.

"Seth?" Dean shook his fellow team mate in hopes to wake him up. "Seth, wake up man!"

When it was obvious that Seth wouldn't wake up, Dean called an ambulance. Seth was still breathing, so Dean wasn't too worried, but he was still concerned for his friends health.

Dean followed the ambulance, in his car with Kevin II. He was anxious as he waited by the reception desk. No one would tell him what was going on.

After a few hours, two doctors appeared in the waiting room and told Dean what had happened.

"Mr Rollins seems to have taken an accidental overdose on alcohol. Luckily, it's nothing serious and he should be out of hospital by tomorrow morning. The fluids should have left his body by tomorrow, so as long as he doesn't get drunk again any time soon, he should be fine." One of the doctors said.

"Okay, that's good. Is he awake? Can I see him?" Dean asked, relief flooding his body.

"Um, well, Mr Rollins has told us that he doesn't want any visitors." The second doctor said.

"Oh, are you sure?" Dean felt even more concerned for his friend.

"Yes Mr Ambrose, we're sorry."

"No, that's okay. Tell him if he needs anything then he can give me a call and I'll be there. Oh, and can you give him his dog, Kevin II?" Dean sighed, handing Kevin II to one of the doctors.

"We will, no worries. Have a safe journey home." The doctors smiled.

"Thank you." Dean smiled back, leaving the building.

Dean looked at the time and realized that AJ would be finishing work soon. He decided to go to the arena and pick AJ up. Hopefully his lover would distract him from Seth's problems.

__________

Roman made his way over to Galina's house. She had given him directions, so that he could pick her up and take her to the restaurant. He wanted to be romantic.

Once he arrived, he knocked on the door with a single rose in his hand. Galina opened the door with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Roman. Is that rose for me?" Galina asked, as she continued to smile.

"Well, unless you don't want it..." Roman smirked.

"Of course I want it. It's beautiful." 

"Just like you." Roman flirted.

"Thank you, cheeky."

The pair made their way over to the restaurant and ordered their meals.

"So, about that steak." Roman started. "Is it really the best in town?"

"You'll soon find out." Galina replied.

Over the course of dinner, the two got to know a lot about each other. Roman felt like he had know Galina all his life. He really wanted to take their friendship to the next level, but he wasn't sure if it was the right time.

"You were right, that steak was amazing." Roman laughed, finishing his meal.

"You owe me ten bucks." Galina smirked.

"Well, a bet is a bet." Roman took $10 out of his wallet and gave it to Galina.

"Thanks, I didn't think you would actually give it to me." 

"Hey, I never back out of a bet."

"You're a very good man, Roman." Galina smiled.

The pair had desert and made their way back to Galina's house. 

"Hey Roman, do you wanna stay the night? Jake is at his Grandparents house and won't be home until tomorrow." Galina asked, looking a little shy.

"Yeah, of course I would like to stay the night, but on one condition." Roman stated.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Galina asked.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Oh wow, yes!" Galina replied, a bit shocked.

"Thank god you said yes, now I can do this." Roman said, as he leaned in and placed his lips on Galina's.

The two shared a kiss on Galina's doorstep for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. When they finally had to pull away for air, Galina spoke.

"Let's go inside."


	25. Understanding change - Part 25

Roman awoke with a smile on his face. Galina laid next to him, asleep in his arms. The couple had got up to some romantic business the previous night, so Roman wasn't surprised when he realized he and Galina were both naked.

Roman got out of bed, putting his clothes back on, and went downstairs to the kitchen. He wanted to surprise Galina with breakfast in bed. It was a small gesture, but one that Roman knew his girlfriend would love.

Fried eggs on toast sounded like the perfect breakfast to wake up to in Roman's eyes. And he was right. Galina awoke to the smell of breakfast and it instantly put a smile on her face, although the smell made her feel slightly nauseous for some reason.

The couple ate breakfast together and talked about what might happen in their future together. 

"So, obviously you like kids because you like Jake, but do you think you would want more kids in the future?" Galina asked.

"Oh, absolutely. I've always wanted a big family, it's a tradition in the Samoan lifestyle." Roman replied.

"That's great. I want more kids too." Galina laughed. "How many do you want altogether?"

"Probably four or five, including Jake."

"Well, I was thinking more like three, but I guess I could reason with you at four." Galina smiled. "I really want to have a baby girl."

"Yeah me too. She'd be my little princess."

"Roman?" Galina asked, suddenly a little nervous.

"Yeah?"

"What would you do right now if I told you I was pregnant?"

"Um, well I'd be over the moon, why?" Roman was slightly confused.

"Well, this morning when I smelt the foods for breakfast I started to feel a bit sick, it could be anything though. I was just wondering, did you use a condom?"

Roman thought about everything that had happened the night before and realized that, in the heat of the moment, he didn't use a condom.

"N-no, I didn't." Roman was shocked, he couldn't believe what was happening. "I'm sorry, everything last night just happened so fast and in all honesty, I just forgot."

"Hey, that's okay. I know what you mean though and I'm not mad at you." Galina smiled. "I have a pregnancy test upstairs, do you wanna check just in case?"

"Yeah, of course." Roman replied, suddenly feeling excited.

"Okay then, let's go to the bathroom."

Galina did the test fairly quickly with ease, she knew what she was doing, she had done this before. The waiting was the hard bit. Three minutes felt like forever and the worry was starting to kick in. Roman was stood right beside her though and that made her feel less nervous.

"Okay, that's three minutes." Roman announced. 

Galina took a deep breath before picking up the pregnancy test and looking at the results. She gasped at the results, causing Roman to become more curious.

"What does it say?" Roman asked.

"It's positive, I'm pregnant!" Galina shouted, starting to cry tears of happiness.

"That's great! I'm gonna be a dad." Roman laughed from pure shock.

Jake returned home shortly after and his mom told him the news. He was really excited. Roman was finally getting the family he wanted and he was more than grateful for what he had.

__________

Dean decided to make his way over to Seth's house. He wanted to talk to him and sort a few things out. He knew that Seth wouldn't want to see him, but right now he had no choice. 

It was obvious that Seth was having a hard time. He was in the wrong mind state. That was the only reason he said those horrible things to AJ.

Once Dean got to Seth's house, the curtains were still shut, but the front door was unlocked. Seth had probably just gotten home from the hospital. The smell of alcohol continued to linger around the house and empty bottles of spirits were scattered throughout each room.

Seth was on the couch watching TV. He didn't notice Dean at first, but once he saw him he looked away from his previous friend.

"Seth, what's up man?" Dean asked, sitting next to the younger man.

"Not much." Seth mumbled in reply.

"That's good I guess, just thought I'd check on you after what happened yesterday."

"Well, I'm fine so you can leave." Seth sighed.

"I'm not leaving. We need to talk." 

"What do we need to talk about?" Seth asked, completely uninterested in the conversation.

"I know what you said to AJ." Dean said. Seth's eyes went wide as the panic set in.

"I-I didn't mean it, I promise. I've felt bad ever since." 

"I know you didn't mean it. I just want to know why you said it." Dean sighed.

"I was just fed up with everything, after what happened with Sami. You and me had an argument in the hospital and it made me upset, so I took it out on AJ. I really didn't mean it. I was just jealous that he was with you." A single tear ran down Seth's cheek.

"Look, I'm sorry about that argument and I should have talked to you sooner. I didn't even think about what had happened with you and Sami, I tried to erase it from my mind and that made me think that everything was okay. I'm sorry I didn't help you afterwards." Dean felt bad. "But you should have taken your anger out on me, not AJ. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"I know, and I've felt bad about it ever since. Why do you think I've drank so much alcohol?" Seth asked, laughing at how crazy everything was. There was silence for a few minutes.

"How is he?" Seth asked.

"He's okay now, he was a little upset at first. Kept pushing himself to workout more. Eventually he told me after I called him out on it yesterday."

"Is that why you came round my house yesterday?"

"Yeah, I was gonna give you a piece of my mind, but after seeing you passed out on the sofa I just had to help you. I feel bad because I left you all alone after what happened with Sami. You must have been terrified." Dean sighed.

"I was paranoid at first, but it doesn't matter now. I saw the video of Sami beating up Roman, is he alright?"

"Yeah he's fine. I think he's got a girlfriend." Dean smirked.

"Oh, really?" Seth smirked back.

The two men carried on their conversation over the majority of the day. Dean helped Seth clean up all of the empty alcohol bottles and got rid of the unopened ones.

"You have to stay alcohol free for at least two weeks." Dean ordered Seth, as he was about to leave.

"Yes mom." Seth laughed.

"I ain't your mom." Dean laughed back. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye."


	26. Fresh starts and friendships - Part 26

Dean arranged for Seth to come over to his hotel room. He wanted to sort things out between Seth and AJ and it was only fair that AJ got an apology. He heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Dean called out to AJ, running over to the door. It was Seth.

"Hey, man." Seth greeted.

"Hey, come on in." Dean led Seth into the room, closing the door behind him. "AJ, could you come out of the bathroom for a minute please?" 

"What is-" AJ saw Seth and instantly stopped talking.

"Um, hey." Seth waved awkwardly.

"So guys, I know this is gonna be hard, but I want us all to sit down and talk. We need to sort a few things out." Dean ordered.

"Okay." AJ sighed. Dean and AJ sat on the bed and Seth sat on the sofa.

"Seth, is there something you want to say to AJ?" Dean asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm really sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean it. My head was all over the place and I was jealous of you and Dean, so I took it out on you. I'm really sorry." Seth sighed, looking at the floor.

"Well, thank you for the apology Seth, it means a lot." AJ smiled.

"You're welcome and I really am sorry that I upset you."

"That's okay, It's all in the past."

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way I think we should go back to the start, where this all began." Dean announced. "Seth, from the bottom of my heart I am sorry for cheating on you when we were together. It was wrong of me to do that."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry too for being a part of that." AJ chimed in.

"Thank you to both of you, apology accepted." Seth smiled. "I think we need to hang out more. I miss seeing you guys."

"We miss you too Rollins. You're the one that kept me sane whilst Dean was in the hospital. I really appreciate that. If it wasn't for you, god knows what would have happened."

"It only seemed right to treat you fairly. Although, I didn't approve of you two being in a secret relationship, I knew that you loved Dean and you were going through the same stress and worry that I was going through." Seth replied. "And plus you're the one that got him to the hospital."

"You're the one that told me to find him."

"Guys, I'm right here." Dean spoke up, causing the other two men to laugh. "Did you forget about me during your forgiveness for one another?"

"No, we could never forget about you." Seth laughed. "Wait, what's your name again? Dan? Drake?"

"Deanise?" AJ joined in on the joke.

"Shut up you two. God, I get you back into a friendship and then you gang up against me." 

"Aww, I'm sorry Deano." AJ laughed, giving Dean a hug.

"Good. Apology accepted." Dean replied. "So, are you guys good now?"

"Yeah, we're good." Seth smiled.

"Do you want to hug it out?" Dean asked.

"Nah, I think I'll pass on that one." AJ laughed.

"Yeah, me too."

"Do you wanna go out for lunch? Roman said he wanted to meet up with us because apparently he's got some big news to tell us." Dean said.

"Yeah sure, can we go get pizza?" AJ asked.

"Of course. Seth are you okay with pizza?" 

"One hundred percent. Pizza is my life." Seth replied.

"Okay, but remember, you can't order any alcohol." Dean said sternly.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning to."

"Good."

"Wait, if you don't mind me asking, why can't you have any alcohol?" AJ asked Seth.

"Um, well I drank too much and ended up in hospital two nights ago. The doctor said I can't have any alcohol until I get the rest out of my system." Seth replied.

"Oh wow, I'm glad you're okay man." AJ was shocked. "Let's go fill you up with pizza." 

"Hell yeah!" Seth laughed.

The three men met Roman at the pizza restaurant and sat down in a hidden booth. They placed their orders pretty quickly. Roman got a beer and everyone else got Cola.

"How come you guys didn't get a beer?" Roman asked, confused.

"I can't drink alcohol at the moment." Seth replied, quickly.

"I just felt like having a cola." Dean laughed.

"Yeah, me too. I haven't had one in ages." AJ agreed.

"So, what did you want to tell us?" Dean asked Roman.

"Well, there's a lot to tell and it might be a bit shocking to all of you." Roman started. "So, you know I met a girl?"

Dean nodded.

"So, last night I asked her out and she said yes." 

"That's awesome!" AJ congratulated Roman.

"Thanks man, but there's more." Roman smiled. "I spent the night at her place and y'know." 

"Oooo, Roman got laid." Seth laughed.

"I sure did, but there's more." Roman raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, what happened?" Dean asked.

"I got Galina pregnant."

"What?" Dean shouted, shocked. "That's amazing!"

"Thanks." Roman laughed.

"Yeah, congrats man. I'm so happy for you." Seth said.

"You're a sniper! Pregnant on the first try." AJ laughed.

"Never say that again!" Dean looked at AJ wided eyed.

"I'm not making any promises." AJ smirked.

The rest of the day went well. The four men ended up going to the gym and getting a good workout done, before they went to the cinema together, with Galina and Jake. They watched finding Dory and Seth ended up being the only one who cried at the emotional parts.

They all went out for a late dinner at a fancy restaurant and Roman's friends got to talk with Galina and Jake. They all approved of Roman's relationship.

Everything was perfect at that moment in time, but it made Seth realize that he really wanted a relationship. Dean had AJ and Roman had Galina. Seth felt left out even though everyone kept him involved in the conversation. He just wanted to have a connection with someone. He wanted someone he could call his own.


	27. Falling in love with you - Part 27

The next day Seth decided to visit his local pub. Not to drink any alcohol. He just wanted to be surrounded by a few people. Dean, AJ and Roman were all backstage at RAW, but Seth didn't feel like joining them. He wasn't ready to be back in the wrestling scene just yet.

He found a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of coke. Everyone in the pub was watching football on the TV, so Seth decided to join the crowd. He sat next to a young man and introduced himself.

"Hey, I'm Seth. Do you mind if I sit here?" Seth asked, smiling at the stranger.

"Yeah man, of course you can. I'm Matthew, but you can call me Matt."

"Thanks, it's nice to meet you Matt. Who are you rooting for?" Seth asked, looking up at the TV.

"It's gotta be the Dallas Cowboys for me, man." Matt replied. "How about you?"

"I'm all about those Chicago Bears." Seth shrugged with a smile.

"Traitor." Matt gasped, causing Seth to laugh. "So how old are you, man?"

"I'm 30, what about you?"

"I'm 26." Matt smiled.

"Oh God, you're a young one." Seth laughed. "I feel old now."

"Age is just a number." 

"You say that now, but once you get old and your bones start to ache, you'll think differently." Seth chuckled.

"Wait you're bones ache already? You're only young." Matt said, shocked.

"My body's been through a lot. I'm a wrestler, so aching bones are completely normal to me."

"Oh right, that makes sense. I was getting worried for ya. Thought I would have to get a doctor to check you out." Matt laughed.

The two men spent the next hour getting to know each other. They didn't realize that the football game had finished until everyone started to stand up and go to the bar.

"Oh wow, how long were we talking for?" Matt asked with an amused smile on his face.

"I have no idea." Seth laughed.

"Do you want me to get you a drink?" Matt asked.

"Oh, yes please if you don't mind. I'll have another coke."

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute."

Seth used this time to check his phone. He saw that he had at text from Dean, asking how he was. He quickly replied and put his phone back in his pocket. Matt arrived back with the drinks and the two men spent the rest of the night talking to each other.

When the pub finally closed at midnight, Matthew drove Seth home and they exchanged numbers.

"Give me a text in the morning. Maybe we could meet up again?" Matt asked, as Seth was getting out of the car.

"Yeah, I'd love to meet up again. I really enjoyed tonight." Seth smiled.

"Good, I'll see you later." Matt waved.

"Bye." Seth waved back as he made his way into his house.

He had taken a liking to Matt. The guy was so kind and funny and handsome. Seth didn't want him to leave. He'd had so much fun tonight just getting to know the guy and he couldn't wait til morning, when he could give Matt a text.

Seth headed up to bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was exhausted.

Seth woke up the next morning and the first thing he did was text Matt.

'Hey, are you doing anything today?'

He waited a few minutes for a reply, but headed downstairs to have some breakfast when he didn't get one. He guessed that Matt was still sleeping. It was very early in the morning still.

Once Seth had ate his breakfast, he checked his phone to see that he still hadn't got a reply. Maybe he was getting excited over nothing. Matt probably didn't like him as much as he thought he did. 

Seth jumped when there was a knock at the door. He answered it to see that it was Dean.

"Hey man, just thought I'd come over for an hour or so. Thought you might be bored." Dean smiled, walking over to the sofa. "So, what's up?"

"Not much." Seth sighed. "I'm sad."

"Why are you sad?" Dean asked, concern filling his eyes.

"Because, I met someone last night and I thought that they liked me, but now I'm not sure if they do or not. They probably don't like me." Seth started to tear up.

"How do you know that they don't like you?" Dean asked.

"Because they told me to text them in the morning, so I did, but they haven't replied and it's almost been an hour. They probably realized how much of an idiot I am." Seth sniffled.

"Hey, you're not an idiot. They're probably still asleep. You know you're an early riser. Give it a few more hours." Dean soothed Seth, rubbing his back.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this." Seth laughed. "You're probably the last person I should be talking to about my high school crushes."

"Nah, you can tell me anything. We were best friends before we got together. And now that we're not together anymore, we can be best friends again."

"Thank you." Seth sighed.

"No problem. Do you want me to stick the kettle on?" Dean asked, causing Seth to laugh.

"If you want."

Seth and Dean spent the next hour watching TV and talking about life in general. Dean was talking about how him and AJ were looking for a house to buy together, when Seth's phone vibrated.

Seth grabbed his phone and saw that Matt had text him.

'Hey, I'm free today. Do you wanna join me for lunch?'

"Oh my god, Dean he text me. Look." Seth showed Dean the text. "What do I say?"

"Say yes, you sausage." Dean laughed.

"Okay."

'Yeah, that would be great. Where do you wanna go?'

'How about the pub again? They do really nice food.'

'Sure! What time?'

'Now?'

'Alright, see you in five minutes.'

'See you.'

"Okay, Dean you know I love you but you're gonna have to leave." Seth laughed.

"Oh, I'm offended. Ditching me for your new boyfriend." Dean mockingly sighed.

"He's not my boyfriend." Seth said, blushing.

"Alright, whatever you say. Text me later and tell me how it goes." Dean said, walking with Seth out of the house.

"I will do, drive safe." Seth smiled waving at Dean as he made his way to the pub.

Once he got there, he saw Matt sat at a booth near the back of the pub. He went over and sat next to him.

"Hey." Seth smiled.

"Hey, how are you today?" Matt asked.

"I'm good thanks, how about you?"

"I'm over the moon now that you're here." Matt said, causing Seth to blush.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad my presence makes you happy." Seth laughed. "So, what are you gonna order?"

"I was thinking burger and chips." Matt said.

"Yeah I'll probably have the same, with a coke." Seth said.

"Hopefully you don't mind me asking, but how come you don't drink alcohol?" Matt asked.

"Oh, well I probably will in a week or so, but a couple days ago I drank too much alcohol and ended up in hospital. The doctor said I had to wait a few weeks until I could drink anymore." Seth said.

"Oh right, that's cool. I didn't know if you were against it or not."

"Hell no, I love a good beer." Seth laughed.

The two men ate their dinner and even ordered a dessert. They couldn't stop talking. Eventually they decided to go to the movies and watched Central Intelligence.

"So, if you're a wrestler, does that mean you know the Rock?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, he's actually related to my best friend, Roman but I've worked with him before. He was one of the first people I worked with when I got called up to the main roster in WWE." Seth replied.

"That's so cool. I really need to watch some of your matches." Matt said excitedly.

"Well, if you've got nowhere to be then you could always come back to my place and we could watch a few matches."

"I'd love that." Matt smiled. "Lead the way."

Both men enjoyed their night together, watching wrestling. Seth felt like he had already fallen in love, even though he had only known Matt for two days. Seth felt comforted in his company. It was something he had only experienced a few times before. He really hoped that he could take things further with Matt. 

But there was one small question that Seth had to ask. Something that had been bugging him for the past two days. He looked over at Matt and let his mouth take over.

"Are you gay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so Matt is just a character I made up so you can view him however you like. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


	28. We're gonna have a good day - Part 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit short. I've been really busy lately. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

"Are you gay?"

Seth regretted saying those three words as soon as they escaped his mouth. He felt Matt's body tense up beside him. He knew he had messed up.

Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut? Matt was probably plotting a way to dodge the question and leave. Seth wouldn't be surprised if Matt never talked to him again. He was probably deeply offended by Seth's words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that." Seth said, trying to reason with himself.

"That's okay." Matt replied awkwardly. "Um."

"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to." Seth whispered, looking down at the carpet, trying not to cry.

"Why would I want to leave?" Matt asked.

"I don't know. I'm just being weird." Seth sighed.

"Well, to answer your question, no I am not gay." Matt smiled. "Are you?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I probably scared you away with my gayness." Seth shrugged, feeling disappointed by Matt's answer.

"Don't be silly. I don't have a problem with you being gay. We can still be friends, right?"

"Yeah." Seth smiled. "I'm glad you don't hate me." 

"I could never hate you. You're too innocent." Matt laughed, causing Seth to laugh.

The two men continued to watch wrestling matches all evening. Matt eventually left Seth's house at midnight and told Seth to text him the next morning. Seth didn't know whether to text him or not.

If he did text him, he would upset himself. He had feelings for Matt and he didn't want to hide them, but he knew that Matt wasn't interested. However if he didn't text him then Matt would get mad. Seth really didn't know what to do, so he turned to the one person who could always help him out. Dean.

Seth grabbed his phone and started dialing in Dean's number. At first he thought Dean wasn't going to answer. It was rather late, but just as Seth was about to end the call, he heard his friends tired voice.

"Seth? Why are you calling at this time of night?" Dean sounded confused, like he had just woken up.

"S-sorry to wake you." Seth sniffled, a few tears falling down his cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, slightly more awake.

"Not r-really." Seth sobbed.

"Hey, calm down. What's wrong?"

"I- you know t-that guy I was te-elling you about?" Seth tried to stop crying but it didn't work.

"Yeah?" Dean replied, already fearing the worst.

"H-he told me he wasn't gay." Seth started to cry even harder than before.

"Oh man, that sucks." Dean sighed. He generally felt bad for his friend. Not being able to be with the person you love, really sucked. 

"Why does nobody like me? It's not fair." Seth sobbed.

"Seth listen, there are people who like you. Me, Roman, AJ. We all like you, okay? Don't put yourself down like that."

"You don't have to pretend to like me. I know that you just pity me, really. No one could like a scumbag like me." Seth mumbled.

"I'm not pretending to like you. You're my best friend, you mean everything to me." Dean started to raise his voice, wanting to get his point across.

"Yeah, but what if I don't want you to be my best friend? What if I want more than that?"

"Seth, don't start this again." Dean sighed. "I'm happily in love with AJ. I don't love you like I used to. In fact, I didn't really love you when we were together. I mean, I did cheat on you. With AJ. My current partner."

Seth hung up. He'd heard enough.

How could Dean say something like that? Why would he have agreed to being Seth's boyfriend if he didn't love him? Was this whole thing just a joke?

Seth felt numb. He had never felt like this, even when he was with Sami. 

__________

The next morning, Seth awoke on his sofa. He had spent the whole night sat in the living room, wondering what to do with himself. Dean didn't like him. Matt didn't like him. Was he unlovable?

A knock on his front door brought him back to reality. At first he wasn't going to answer it. What was the point? It couldn't be that important could it? But there was a nagging voice in Seth's head telling him to open the door.

So he did.

Matt stood at the door with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a DVD in the other.

"Hi." Matt said, smiling.

"Hey." Seth replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought I would clear a few things up." Matt stated. "Yesterday, I was a bit shocked by you asking me if I was gay and I didn't know whether to tell you the truth or not. But I am gay and I think I like you." Matt said shyly.

"Really?" Seth was shocked and happy and confused. "I like you too."

"That's good then." Matt let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "May I come in?"

"Of course, but first let me just..."

Seth leaned in towards Matt and placed his lips against the others. Sparks flew around his body. He knew that this was meant to be. He had never felt so safe and comforted by a single soul. Matt was the one. 

Matt was Seth's forever.


	29. Live for today - Part 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling that people are going to like this chapter. You'll see why soon. Thanks for reading and enjoy! Also the next chapter will be the last, so buckle up for the ending! (Part 30)

Dean and AJ woke up nice and early. They wanted to make the most of AJ's day off of work. Their plan for the day was to look at a few houses and see whether they liked any. They wanted to buy a house as soon as possible.

The houses that they looked at all had their advantages. They were the simple two bedroom, one bathroom houses. Nothing too crazy. But the last house they looked at definitely took their breath away.

The moment the couple walked in, they could tell it was the one.

"This place is so nice, I could literally live in the garden. It's amazing." Dean laughed, in shock at how in love he was with the small house.

"I know right? Do you think this is the one?" AJ asked as they made their way to the car.

"Oh yeah, for sure. I don't even want to look at any other houses. I'm too in love with this one."

"Are you more in love with it than you are with me?" AJ asked, pouting at Dean.

"Hmm, maybe." Dean giggled, winding AJ up.

"Well then, I guess we won't be going out on our dinner date." AJ sulked, knowing Dean was only joking.

"No! I was only joking, I could never love anything more than I love you." Dean pretended to be upset and play along, but on the inside he was laughing.

"Good." AJ huffed. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Anything that has tomatoes in it. I really want tomatoes for some reason."

"Okay then, tomatoes it is."

AJ drove himself and his lover to a small Italian restaurant, close to the hotel they were staying at. They managed to get a table hidden at the back of the room.

AJ ordered a pizza and Dean got Spaghetti Bolognese, with a side of extra tomatoes.

"So, have you thought about how you're gonna decorate the rooms in the house yet?" AJ asked, eating a slice of his pizza.

"Don't you mean how are we going to decorate the rooms?" Dean smirked.

"I thought we decided that this was going to be your project? I'm gonna be away at work, baby. I can't help you do all the rooms." AJ sighed.

"Can you at least do the bedroom with me? That's our special room." Dean raised an eyebrow and winked at his lover.

"Alright fine, I'm thinking pink walls, Yellow bed covers and a blue rug." 

"Haha, very funny." Dean replied sarcastically.

"Calm down, I'm only joking." AJ laughed. "Do you want to make some magic in our special hotel room tonight?" 

"Are you trying to get in my pants Mr Styles?"

"I don't know. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. You tell me Mr Ambrose." AJ winked.

"Get in the car now." Dean growled.

The couple got back to their hotel room, but didn't make any magic. They both decided they were too lazy and full up with food, so instead they watched a movie and cuddled.

Before they knew it, it was midnight. Dean questioned whether or not he should watch another movie, but decided against it when AJ sat on his lap.

"Hello." Dean laughed, at the sudden closeness of his lover.

"Hey." AJ mumbled, shyly.

"So, what brings you here?" Dean asked, looking into AJ's eyes.

"I have something to ask you." AJ stated.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Well, first let me say that I'm sorry this isn't anything fancy, but I wanted it to be something special between just you and me." 

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, confused.

"Dean, I love you with all of my heart. You are the blood that pumps through my body. You are the air that I breathe into my lungs. You are my everything. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." AJ said, trying not to cry from all the nerves.

AJ pulled a small box from out of his pocket and held it out in front of Dean, opening it to show a silver ring.

"AJ?" Dean said, shocked.

"Dean Ambrose, will you do the honor of making me the happiest man alive, and marry me?" AJ asked, nervous of his lover's answer. His nerves were soon removed as he saw a small smile forming on Dean's lips.

"Yes." Dean nodded, tears rolling down his face. "Yes I will." AJ felt relief run through his body as he let out a deep breath and smiled.

AJ took the ring out of its box and slid it on Dean's finger.

"I love you so much." AJ whispered to his fiance.

"I love you too." Dean replied, still crying tears of joy.

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms, surrounded by nothing but love and happiness.

__________

The next day, Dean called Seth. He wanted to apologize for his behaviour during their previous phone conversation. He had said a few mean things.

"Hello?" Seth answered, a little scared to pick up.

"Hey, can we talk about something real quick?" Dean asked, feeling awkward.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you the other night. Obviously, I loved you when we were together. I just wanted to clear that up, but I've moved on now."

"That's okay, you didn't need to apologize." Seth said, feeling bad for some reason.

"Yes I did, I lied to get you off of my back and that was wrong. I just hope you can find love in someone else someday." Dean replied, genuinely meaning what he said.

"Well, actually Matt asked me to be his boyfriend." Dean could tell that Seth was smirking when he said that.

"What? I thought he was straight."

"Yeah, he said he lied because he was nervous."

"I'm glad you've found someone. It's about time." Dean laughed.

"Tell me about it." Seth laughed back. "So, how are you and AJ?"

"Um, well I haven't told anyone yet, but we're engaged."

"What? When? Oh my god that's awesome." Seth shouted.

"I know thanks man, and last night, he asked me and I said yes."

"That's great! I'm so happy for the both of you." Seth smiled.

"Thank you Seth, I appreciate it. Anyway, I gotta go shower so I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you."

Both men ended their conversation.

Dean had never felt so happy in his life. After everything he had been through, he still got to have the man of his dreams. He felt loved. It was magical.

He hoped that things would stay as perfect as they were right now. He was about to have his fairytale ending.


	30. Til death do us part - Part 30

Today was the day. Dean's fairy tale ending was finally here. It had been 6 months since the proposal and now Dean and AJ were ready to tie the knot.

They decided to have their wedding in a small church in Pensacola, Florida. The guests were sat in the church waiting for the ceremony to begin. AJ made his way up the aisle and stood at the altar, waiting for his fiance.

Meanwhile, Dean was stood outside the church with Roman, who was going to walk him down the aisle, panicking about the wedding.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? What if he changes his mind and runs off?" Dean said, breathless from panicking. 

"Dean, that's not going to happen. I think you've forgotten that AJ is the one who asked you to marry him in the first place. He's not gonna change his mind. He loves you too much." Roman sighed, reassuring his friend for the one hundredth time that morning, that AJ wasn't going to ditch him. 

"I know, but that was six months ago, he could have decided that he made a mistake."

"If he had made a mistake, he would have told you by now. Besides, AJ would never say no to you. He's head over heels for you." Roman laughed. "Now come on, everyone's waiting."

Dean inhaled and exhaled a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't keep his guests waiting any longer.

"Okay." Dean said, looking at Roman. "I'm ready." Roman linked his arm with Dean's.

"Knock em' dead, tiger." Roman smiled as they started walking into the church.

As they entered the church, music started to play. Everyone was standing with their eyes on Dean. It was a surreal moment.

Dean lifted his head to look at the altar in front of him. The smile on AJ's face instantly made Dean's heart melt. He knew right then and there that this was meant to be.

Roman unlinked his arm with Dean's and gave AJ a pat on the back and a reassuring smile, before taking his seat next to Galina and Jake. Seth and Matt were sat in the row behind.

"We are gathered here today to unite Mr Dean Ambrose and Mr Allen Jones Styles in marriage." The Priest started the ceremony.

Dean's hands were shaking the entire time, but AJ's gentle touch managed to keep him calm enough to finish the ceremony.

"AJ, do you take Dean to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do you part?"

"I do." AJ smiled, looking at Dean who was also smiling.

"And Dean, do you take AJ to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do you part?"

"I do." Dean replied, a single tear running down his cheek.

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss."

Everyone cheered as the newlyweds shared a small kiss.

Dean and AJ signed their wedding papers, before exiting the church and being showered in confetti. 

The reception was held in a nearby hotel. Dean and AJ were sat at the centre table next to Seth, Matt, Roman, Galina and Jake. They easily ate their three meal course and then cut the cake.

It was a day full of joy and happiness.

Over the next few months the couple enjoyed their honeymoon and finished decorating their house. They even bought a dog called Lucas. 

Seth and Matt moved in together and got engaged.

Roman and Galina welcomed their baby girl, Jojo into the world three months after Dean and AJ's wedding. They made plans to buy a house and have more kids.

AJ had zero faults in his life. He had the perfect husband, some great friends and an amazing career. He couldn't wish for more.

And Dean, well after everything he had been through, his life was finally good again. He had overcome an eating disorder, self harm, depression, break ups, suicide attempts and an abusive relationship.

But it was all worth it to get to where he was today. 

Everything that Dean had been through was over and now he was living his happy life. It just goes to show that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

And that light was AJ.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has supported this story! I wouldn't have finished it without you guys. I hope you've enjoyed this, I can't thank you enough! Check out my new story 'I'm Not Everything You Wanted Me To Be,' Until we meet again. I'll see you soon.


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